Our Hearts are Locked Forever
by hiddeninplainsight
Summary: Ever wonder what it would be like to live with your best friend? Things change and moves occur when recent family happenings lead to divorce in the Swan house. Bella learns to cope through friendship and love. All human/canon pairings.
1. Divorce

**Summery: Bella's whole life is changed with that one word. Divorce. When Charlie decides he needs 'change' and can't have that with Renee holding him back, Bella has to learn to cope with the results.** **All human. Canon pairings.** I don't want to give too much away about the future of this story, so I'll leave it at that for now. I can tell you now, Edward WILL be in this story, but you will never expect how he comes to be with Bella. Hopefully not, at least.

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Twilight or any of the characters. I do however, own this idea of this fic and anything that happens in it. ;]**

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Chapter 1**

**Bella's POV.**

I laid in my bed, attempting to lose myself in the world of Wuthering Heights. I could hear my parents arguing. I wasn't sure which was better. The yelling and screaming; where at least I knew what was going on. Or the silence; where I could hear myself think, but was left out in the cold.

Turning up the volume on my iPod, I began to read once again. I'd read maybe five pages when my door opened and Charlie came in my room. I looked up from my book, meeting his eyes. Taking out one headphone, I studied him. He looked so different lately. When I saw him, that is. He looks tired, sad, and stressed. It made him look ten years older than he actually was.

"Yeah, Dad?" I asked.

"Want to go on a walk with your old man?" he asked.

"Um, sure. Just let me find shoes," I told him.

I bookmarked the page and grabbed my Chucks from my closet.

When we passed the family room, Renee stopped us.

"What are you doing?" she asked me.

"Dad and I were going on a walk.." I said.

"Oh, no. We're telling her together, Charlie. This isn't something you're just going to tell her then take off again," she said angrily.

Charlie looked down at his feet. I sat on the couch.

"I don't exactly know how to say this to you, Bells," he started. He drew in a deep shaky breath. "I filed for a thing they call divorce. I'm sure you've heard of it." His words caught in his throat, and he put his face in his hands. "I just, I can't love your mother anymore. This isn't because of you. You need to know that I love you very much."

The tears that I had been holding back for weeks spilled over. I didn't say a word. Not one word. I looked at him through my tears, and saw tears in his eyes too. The only time in my entire life I had ever seen him cry.

"What are you thinking, Bella?" Renee asked me. I recognized that face she had on. It was a mask. It covered what she was really feeling. She was trying to be strong, to not cry in front of me.

"That I expected this," I blurted out before I could realize it.

"Why?" Charlie whispered.

My voice was full of anger now. "Do you think I haven't noticed you gone? Do you think I haven't noticed the late nights where we wait for you, but you never show? The meals you've missed? You're 'working late'? I'm not stupid, Dad."

Nobody said anything for what seemed like hours, though it was most likely only a few seconds. I couldn't take it anymore. I stood up, and jogged out the door. My cell phone was in my pocket. They could reach me if they absolutely needed me.

I was crying hard now. Walking through the neighborhood crying, I probably looked ridiculous or most likely insane. I didn't care. I couldn't care less right now, actually. Nothing mattered. I couldn't walk any further. I slumped down next to a tree, leaning my head back, and let the tears flow. Sobs shook my body. I cried for everything. For the change that would happen. For the pain Renee would go through. For my Dad's ass-hole behavior.

When the tears had slowed somewhat, I took out my cell and texted Mom. I didn't want her to worry.

"In the neighborhood, I'm okay. Don't worry."

I didn't want to call anyone. I just.. I couldn't.

The whole situation didn't seem real.

My phone buzzed in my hand. "Okay. Thanks for letting me know. Come home when you're ready."

One letter was all I needed. "K." Sent.

I started walking again. The sun was beating down on me. I could feel myself getting burned. Screw it.

It had probably been walking around aimlessly for half an hour. I looped around and went back to my street. Renee was waiting at the corner. When she saw me, she looked relieved. She rolled down the window, and called my name.

I went over to the car and got in. I was fried to a crisp. My arms hurt. I laid my head back on the seat, and looked out the opposite window.

"Listen, honey. We're all we've got now. The two of us will get through this together. Your father and I talked. This isn't going to be easy on either of us. But we're going to try as hard as possible to make the change smooth. I know you probably feel like you need to do something. But trust me- rebelling is the last thing you want to do. Look at me, please, Bella."

I turned to look at her, my eyes once again full of tears.

"I love you. And right now, that's all that matters. Okay?"

I nodded. She took my hand and squeezed it. "I'm here to listen if you want to talk about this."

Sure, Mom. I'll just come tell you everything. I'll tell you that I don't want this to happen. I'll tell you that I've already accepted it. I'll tell you that nothing I say will help. I'll tell you that nothing I can do will stop this train from crashing.

"Okay," I said aloud.

She turned the car back on and drove the short distance back to our house.

**Two Weeks Later**

The front door opened and slammed shut. Charlie's heavy footsteps echoed through the house. I heard him take his boots off, and kick them aside.

I glanced at the clock on my bedside table. 3:57a.m. How long had I been asleep? I rubbed my eyes and rolled over, causing my book to fall on the floor. I groaned and stretched out.

I heard him walk up the stairs. Three steps to my room. Seven to the guest room. Ten to his. One, two, three. Pause. My door creaked open. I shut my eyes and steadied my breathing. Peaking through my eyelashes, I saw him stick his head in. He saw the book on the floor, shook his head, and left, quietly shutting the door behind him. Four more steps. I heard the bed creak. Did he sit on the bed? No, it was too light to be him. Sounded like maybe a suitcase. I sighed.

More footsteps. Quieter this time. It was Mom, not Charlie.

"What in the hell do you think you're doing?" her voice carried though the wall. It was harsh.

"Sleeping," was his gruff response.

"You can't keep doing this, Charlie," her voice was softer now.

"Doing what, Renee?"

Yeah. Like he doesn't know.

"This!" I imagined her waving her arms around. "You can't keep leaving and not telling me where you're going, and coming home late without calling. Just because you don't love me, doesn't mean I'm not worrying." She choked out the last sentence.

"Renee, listen-" he started but she cut him off.

"No, _you_ listen. I'm sick of this. I'm sick of you treating me like dirt. If you don't want to come home because you'll see me, then fine. Whatever. But for your daughter's sake, could you at least have the decency to call _her_? You're being a selfish bastard and you know it. Bella is going to grow to hate you, if you keep this up. She misses the old you."

"Renee, I'm going to spend time with Bella. This is going to bring us closer together. I promise her that. Everything I'm doing, I'm thinking about her. After this is all settled, we'll bond more. We'll spend more time together. But everything is a little crazy right now, and I can't juggle it all."

"Your daughter comes first, Charles. She should always come first."

It broke my heart to hear them talking like this. I reached for my iPod, but I couldn't bring myself to press play and block them out. I continued to listen.

"I can't do this anymore, Charlie. It hurts too much. You need to leave. You can't live here anymore. You can't bring us any more of the grief that you're causing. I can't take it."

I hit play, and turned up the volume. I wouldn't be surprised if I was deaf by morning. I shouldn't have heard any of that. I couldn't listen to any more. Wrapping the covers around me tight, I squeezed my eyes shut and prayed for a dreamless sleep.

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**So, what do you think so far? Next update will be tomorrow. It's a sad start, but everything always gets worse before it gets better.**


	2. Distractions

**I knew there was something I was forgetting last chapter. Siob edited it. She also edited this one. Thanks, Siob!  
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Chapter 2**

**Bella's POV**

A man was behind me. I spun around to face him.

"What do you want from me?" I asked.

"Everything," he whispered.

Suddenly, he lounged at me. His arms wrapped tightly around mine, pinning me to the ground. I trashed around, trying to get free from his grip.

"It's okay, everything is okay," he said.

I tried to scream out, but I couldn't find my voice.

Next thing I knew, I was surrounded by trees. Nothing but green as far as I could see. There was no sun. I was drenched from head to toe in water. It was pouring rain, and the ground had turned to mush. I tried to run, but I was sinking down, down. I reached out, for something, anything to pull me up.

"Bella," I heard Renee's voice. I searched frantically for her.

"Mom? Where are you mom?" I called.

"Bella, honey, wake up! Bella!"

I sat up in my bed, gasping for breath. I looked around the room, realizing I was in my room and not the woods. Renee was beside me, holding my hand.

"Are you alright?" she asked quietly. "You were screaming in your sleep."

"I'm okay, sorry for waking you," I mumbled.

"Do you want to talk about your dream?" she asked. "They say it helps to say it out loud."

"It was nothing, really, Mom. I just forgot my lines in the school play."

Yes, I lied. So sue me. I couldn't tell my mother what I really dreamt of. Hell, I didn't even know what I had dreamed.

"Okay, honey. I'm going back to bed then. Try to get a little more rest. The sun isn't even up yet."

I nodded, and rolled over as she walked out of the room. Facing the window now, I could see our yard. Warm, sunny Phoenix. So where did the place in my dream come from?

When I heard Renee's door shut, I slipped out from under the covers and walked over to the window.

"I can't even have one night's peace and quiet. Thanks a lot," I said to the emptiness.

I knew after a dream like that, I wouldn't get back to sleep. It had felt so real. I could _feel_ the wetness of the rain, each drop hitting my face. I could smell the Earth, the smell of mud.

I grabbed Wuthering Heights and my iPod and went downstairs. I took the afghan from the back of the sofa and snuggled into the armchair. I put in the tiny ear buds and opened to the page I left off on.

The sunlight was just reaching the windows, lighting the room up naturally. I switched the lamp off, and set the book aside. I went into the kitchen, and started to cook. I cracked a few eggs in a bowl and added milk.

Not too long after sun rise, Renee woke up again. She came downstairs in her robe and slippers.

"You didn't sleep after that, did you?"

"Am I that obvious?"

She nodded. "You have bags under your eyes and you look dead beat."

I shrugged, and put a pinch of cinnamon in the bowl. Then began dipping the bread and putting it on the pan.

She sat at the table, watching me flip the French toast. I put a few pieces on a plate and set it in front of her. She grabbed maple syrup and silver wear for both of us and sat back down.

"Your dad is moving out tonight," she said softly.

I nodded and sat down across from her with a plate of food. "Is he here now?"

"No. He'll be here later with a moving van. I have to work, though. Which is why I'm telling you now. I didn't want you to wonder why there was a moving van parked in the driveway or anything."

"What is he taking?"

"I don't know, honey. I'm assuming the bed from the guest room and maybe the couch from the basement."

I took a deep breath, and looked down at my breakfast. I stabbed a piece with my fork and shoved it in my mouth.

After we had finished eating, I cleared the table and washed the dishes. Renee had gone to get ready for work, so I went back to the family room to read.

"Alright, Bells. I'll be home at seven," Renee said as she walked out the door.

"Bye, Mom!" I called after her.

I grabbed my backpack and pulled out my homework. I started with Math and worked my way through the problems. Several hours of Algebra later, my stomach was growling and I was done with the assignment. I brought my bag to the kitchen, fixed myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and started my history homework at the table.

Through the kitchen window, I saw the moving van pull up. I stuck my notebook in my history book, put them in my bag and went up to hide in my room. I didn't want to watch him and whatever friend was helping him pack.

I blocked out all the noise they were making with my trusty iPod, and finished the rest of my work.

I turned on the ancient computer and waited for it to boot up. I'm guessing I had no emails or anything, but I had nothing else to do. Then again, I hadn't checked my email in ages.

Just as I was typing in the password, Charlie knocked on the door and stepped in.

"I just wanted to tell you I'm leaving. I'll be back tomorrow. I love you," he said.

I mentally rolled my eyes and said, "Okay. Love you, too."

I turned back to face the computer, which was giving me the spinning wheel of death. Great. Stupid, slow computer. I kicked the desk.

"Gah," I mumbled.

After it had finally loaded, I clicked open the Internet, and logged into Hotmail.

As I figured, there wasn't anything new in my inbox. I shut the computer down.

I decided to take a shower. I went to the bathroom, put a CD in the little radio ever-present in my bathroom, and turned on the water.

I stepped into the water, letting the heat and blaring music ease my mind.

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**And that there ends most of the sadness. Things will get better for Bella from this point. Reviews are always welcome. =]**


	3. Early Breakfast

**No editing needed, apparently. Thanks for looking it over, Siob.**

**Disclaimer: Definitely not Mrs. Meyer.**

**Okay, so I have three songs I want to throw out there. Untitled, Promise, and Take My Hand - all by Simple Plan. They are my inspiration for this story, and I absolutely love them.  
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Chapter 3**

**BPOV**

"Bella! Come on, we're going to be late if you don't start getting ready," Renee yelled from downstairs.

I groaned and rolled over, effectively landing myself on the floor. I stood up sleepily and rubbed my butt.

"Ouch," I mumbled.

I went to the bathroom to get ready. After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I threw my hair up in a ponytail and went back to my bedroom to get dressed.

I put on a plain gray tee, a pair of jeans, grabbed a hoodie and my bag and walked downstairs.

I threw the bag and hoodie on the floor by the front door and went to grab food.

Renee was in the kitchen, sipping a glass of orange juice. If I was going to make us late by not getting up, how does she have time to drink juice? I looked at the time on the microwave.

"Mom, is there a reason you woke me up and had me get ready an hour before I actually need to? I swear, if you're pranking me..." I trailed off the sentence. "It's not even April Fool's Day.. is it?"

She laughed. "There is a reason. And no, it's not even April. It's still March."

"Oh," I said, feeling stupid.

"I figured we could get some breakfast before school and work," she informed me.

"Sure. Sounds good."

She smiled, put her glass in the sink and made her way to the door. I followed, grabbing my bag and hoodie along the way. We drove to a restaurant that was open early for odd people like us, who ate out at six in the morning.

After we had ordered drinks – coffee for Renee, apple juice for me – Renee began to make small talk.

"Have you looked into the driving test? I know you have your permit, but you should get your license. You'll be 16 in September..."

"Mom, relax. I can't even take the test until I'm 16. I have six months."

"Right. I just want you to be ready," she said.

I nodded. The waitress came over and handed us our drinks. We ordered our food, and the waitress left. I stuck the straw in my juice and sipped as she continued talking.

"On another note, I scheduled us to look at a house tomorrow."

"What?" I asked, choking on my juice.

"On my salary, I'm not sure I'll be able to afford our house. We'll still live in Forks. I'm trying to make this transition as smooth as possible. Our house is too big for us."

"I never realized how big our house is. Thinking about it, you're right. The bedroom Dad used as his office is empty now. Along with the guest room, since he took that bed. So we have two bedrooms."

Renee nodded. "And the basement, which is mostly empty. He took the sofa and a lot of the storage furniture."

"Did he? I haven't been down there."

She nodded again.

"Oh."

The waitress came, setting our food on the table. "Will that be it?"

"Yes, I think so. Thanks," Renee said.

The waitress nodded then left again.

"Do you remember Elizabeth? With her kids, Edward and Alice?" she asked.

Like I could forget. Elizabeth was one of her best friends. We used to go over to their house all the time. Usually it was Edward, Alice, and me, along with Rosalie and Jasper. Emmett would come sometimes, but his parent's weren't as close to Elizabeth, so he usually only came when everyone came to our house.

That was a long time ago. We were five or six back then. Alice, Rosalie, and I would always go to Alice's room. Edward and Jasper would go to his and do whatever it is boys do.

Our families had sort of drifted apart after Elizabeth's husband, Edward Sr., passed away.

_Flashback-_

Charlie and Renee held hands as the three of us walked up to the funeral home. I ran, wanting to see Alice.

"Don't run, Bella. Remember what we talked about in the car?" Charlie scolded.

I nodded. He said to be on my best behavior. This was a sad time for everyone. He told me to stay quiet.

"Can I sit with Alice, Dad?" I asked.

"If she wants you to, honey. She might just want to stay with Aunt Elizabeth and Edward," Renee answered.

"Okay," I said. I went inside the building, my parents not far behind.

"This way," Charlie said. He went down the left hallway. I wondered how he knew which way, but then I saw the sign that said 'Edward Masen'.

I walked faster to get to the right room. I looked all around for Alice. I spotted her sitting with Elizabeth. Elizabeth was crying. Alice was standing in her black dress. Edward was next to her in a suit.

I ran over to them. I gave Elizabeth a hug. She looked down at me and said thank you for coming. I then hugged Alice. I thought about hugging Edward, but I thought it would be a bit too awkward.

We didn't say anything. Alice pulled me to the seat in the front row where her coat was. We sat down and waited. People came over to us, mostly adults, telling Alice they were sorry. She got lots of hugs, but her hand never left mine. Eventually, Elizabeth sat on the other side of Alice. Alice grabbed her hand, too. Edward sat on the other side of me, when Alice told him she didn't want me to move. Halfway through the procession or so, a man I recognized as Alice's uncle went up to the front. He talked about her dad, telling stories that made Elizabeth smile through her tears. When Elizabeth went up to talk about him, I saw tears on Edward's cheeks from the corner of my eye. He tried to wipe them without anyone seeing, but I did. I looked at my hand, still holding Alice's. I took my other hand and laced my fingers through Edward's. I half-expected him to pull away and tell me I had cooties, like other kids (meaning Emmett) would have, but he never did. I kept my hands holding both of theirs for the rest of the procession. I looked back at the row Renee and Charlie were in. Renee was crying. She saw me looking, and gave me a sad smile.

When it was over, I hugged each of them – including Edward – one last time before Renee, Charlie, and I left.

I was looking out the window on the way home, watching the trees go by.

"I'm so proud of you, Bella," Renee said, breaking the silence. "It was very sweet of you to be there for Alice and Edward."

I smiled.

_-End Flashback_

Of course, it also didn't help that we moved from Phoenix to Forks when I was nine. Rosalie's dad and Charlie had both been transferred from the Phoenix police station to the one in Forks. From what I understand, Elizabeth didn't want them to move in the middle of the year. And now, seven more school years come and gone, they still hadn't moved out here. Alice must have a new best friend by now. I sighed mentally at that fact. I wanted to see her so badly. The last time I saw her was when they came into town in the summer. I was either eleven or twelve.

"Yeah, I remember them. It's been ages since I've seen them," I told her. "I miss Alice."

"Really? I didn't think you two were all that close. Usually it was you and Rosalie. You told me Alice was annoying."

"I did? I don't remember that. I just remember always being with Rosalie and Alice."

"Well, you did tell me that at one point. I had no idea you were that close to Alice. Maybe it's not such a crazy idea after all."

"What isn't?"

"I was on the phone with Elizabeth last weekend. It turns out the car dealership where she works is most likely closing. Meaning she'll be out of a job soon. Jokingly, I said they should move in with us."

My eyes involuntarily opened wider in shock.

"Okay, I take that back. It was a crazy idea."

"No, it just... took me by surprise. That's all," I told her.

"The only reason I said that was because we were both talking about having to move. Neither of us will be able to afford our houses."

"Oh."

"Yeah. She just laughed and said she was thinking about that, too. It'll probably never happen though."

"Hmm," I said, finishing the last bite of eggs on my plate.

The waitress brought over the bill.

"Well, we should get going if we want to get you to school in time," she said.

I took a sip of my apple juice, then stood up, pushing my chair in.

We paid and left. The ride to school was silent.

The day went on as it usually did. It was boring, kids were being obnoxious. Nothing new. Except now, I was thinking about what it would be like to live with my best friend. If they moved in with us, they would both go to our school.

I pondered the idea all day.

It would be amazing if that happened. I made note to tell Renee my thoughts on the matter.

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**Did I ever tell you I love people who review stories? They're pretty amazing. *hint, hint***


	4. Jogging

**I apologize for the long time it took to update. But now, in the words of AC/DC, school's out for summer! You can expect more frequent updates. (:**

**A big thank you to my lovely Beta, Siob [poisonedbirth]. She just got off hiatus too. Check out her stories. ;]**

**Disclaimer: I tried to convince Stephenie to let me buy the entire story off her, even offering to finish Midnight Sun, but she said no way. =[  
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Chapter 4**

**BPOV**

"Hey, Mom?" I called as soon as I got in the door.

"Yeah Bells?" she answered.

"I think.." I paused, not sure how to word it.

"You think..?" she prompted. When I didn't say anything, she said, "Are you sure you think?"

I forced a laugh at her joke. "Mom, I think you should tell Elizabeth."

"Tell her what, honey?" she asked, though I was fairly positive she knew what I meant.

"Um, if it helps us keep this house; then I don't have a problem with them, well, moving in... here."

"Isabella," I winced at the use of my full name. "You better not be saying that simply because you think I can't afford this house. Your father and I are going to make this as easy on you as possible. If we have to downsize, so what? It's just the two of us now, baby. You don't have to tell me you want them to move in. Really. I promise you, Bella, I understand if you don't. It was just a spur of the moment idea."

"I'm not just saying this, Mom. I want Alice here with me," I didn't mention Edward, though from the look on Renee's face I could tell she knew I wanted to see them again. "Please, Mom?" I said, softer.

"As long as you are one-hundred percent sure about this, Bella," she told me. I nodded, slinging my backpack onto my shoulder.

"Will you call her tonight?" I asked.

"I was planning on waiting until tomorrow," she said.

"'Kay." I paused for a moment. "I'm just going to get some homework done."

She nodded. "I'll call you when dinner's ready."

"Thanks," I said as I went up the stairs.

**

"Bella, are you up?" I heard Renee yell from downstairs.

"Yeah," I muttered, rolling over in the bed.

"Bella?" Renee shouted. Before I could answer, I heard her foot steps coming up the stairs. Damn.

She walked right in, not bothering to knock.

"Bella, why are you still in bed? It's 6:57. You need to leave in ten," she told me.

"You asked if I was up. You were downstairs, I was up. Therefore, technically, I was up," I mumbled, putting the pillow over my face.

She turned on the light and yanked the covers off my bed.

"Come on, lazy butt. You're going to be late."

I groaned, climbing out of the bed. I threw on a tee shirt, slipped into a pair of gray sweats and went to the bathroom. After brushing my teeth and washing my face, I flipped my hair up into a messy ponytail and went downstairs. I slung my bag on my shoulders as Renee beeped the horn, telling me I better get out there or she'll leave without me.

As I slid into the passenger seat, Renee put the car in drive and took off.

"You could wait for the door to shut, Mom," I told her.

"We're already late, Bella," she said.

"Late for what?" I asked, curious as to what she had planned for today.

"I have a few job interviews lined up," she said simply, like it was no big deal.

She dropped me at the school, barely pausing long enough for me to get out before driving off again. I realized I was scowling, and quickly put on the happy facade.

I went to school, pretended to pay attention to Jessica and the other drones at lunch, finished out the school day and walked home.

A rare day without homework left me with nothing to do. I ticked off things in my head, but nothing sounded particularly appealing.

After channel flipping for a while, I noticed a cooking show. I decided dinner would be good thing to do to keep me busy. I had a good three hours to make it.

I rummaged through the fridge and the pantry, looking for ideas. I pulled out the chicken Renee must have bought last trip to the grocery store, found a few potatoes and the bread crumbs to make stuffing.

After preheating the oven, I rinsed the chicken and peeled potatoes. By the time Renee walked in the door, I was setting the table and getting ready to pull out the chicken.

"Good timing," I told her.

"It smells great in here," she commented. "Looks good."

She took her coat off and came into the kitchen. "I'll finish this up," she said, taking the silverware from my hands.

I nodded. I slipped my hands into the oven mits, and pulled the chicken and potatoes out of the oven. I set the pan in the center of the table on a potholder and got the pan the stuffing was in and set that next to the chicken.

"We didn't have any gravy," I said.

"That's okay," she replied. She got the butter and milk out of the fridge.

We served ourselves, clinking of silverware being the only sound.

"Thanks for cooking dinner, Bella," Renee said, breaking the silence.

"Not a problem," I said, smiling. "Did you call Elizabeth?"

"I did," she said. I didn't say anything, thinking she would elaborate, but she didn't.

"And..?" I prompted.

"And, she didn't answer."

"Oh," I said, lamely.

"Yeah. I left a voicemail, so I suppose until she calls back that's all we can do."

"What did you say in the message?" I asked.

"Basically 'Hey Liz, it's Renee. It's about eight-thirty on Tuesday. Call me back when you get this message'."

I laughed. Typical Renee. She always said the time and day of the call, but never said why she was calling. It was like a mystery to be solved. Whenever I asked why, she said it makes people curious as to why you called in the first place and they call you back to find out.

"Anyways, I'll clean up since you cooked. Go do whatever it is teenagers do in their free time nowadays," she shooed me.

Nothing. I do nothing in my free time, Mom. That's the problem, I said in my head.

I went upstairs, putting on my iPod and turning on the ancient computer. Before it had the chance to turn on, I flipped it back off, frustrated with it's pace. I looked out the window to see it was only sprinkling lightly. After changing into sweatpants and throwing on a wind breaker, I laced up my running shoes and went downstairs.

"Mom, I'm going jogging for a little bit. I'll be back soon," I called before leaving.

I jogged at a steady pace along the side of the road, letting the rain hit my face and wash away all feeling.

Along with burning off calories, I sweated off the past. The phrase _'It is what it is, deal with it' _ran through my mind. With that thought, I pushed my feet against the wet pavement harder, picking up the pace.

It is what it is. Deal with it.

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**Raise your hand if you're curious as to where I'm taking this! xD**

**Oh, I do have a question. Longer chapters that take more time for me to write (in other words, less frequent updates) or shorter chapters, like this one, more often? I'm leaning towards the shorter more frequent ones. If you want long, then let me know.  
**


	5. Surprise!

**Thank you to Siob, for editing. I'm pretty sure she lives in my head. We have a twin connection that isn't completely normal. xD**

**Are you ready for this?**

**Disclaimer: I'm too lazy to come up with something witty. Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight.  
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Chapter 5**

**BPOV**

Something was up. Renee had something up her sleeve. I knew her well enough to know that she was planning something.

It's been almost two weeks since Renee called Elizabeth. She hadn't called back yet. From what I was aware of, at least.

Renee was at work tonight, meaning I would have to walk home today. I didn't bother throwing my hood up or anything. Sure, it was sprinkling, but living in Forks for many years now; I was used to the rain. Not that I approved.

I raised an eyebrow when I got to my street. From the corner, I could see a shiny silver car parked in my driveway. I wasn't expecting anyone. Was Renee having guests over? She hadn't mentioned anything.

So who was here? Just in case, I thought of what little I did know of self-defense as I walked the rest of the way.

Getting closer, I saw that it was a Volvo. I don't even _know_ anyone with a silver Volvo. I looked upon the front porch to find a gorgeous man sitting on in the chair, looking down at something in his hand. Judging by the headphones, I guessed it was an iPod.

He couldn't have been more than 16.

I looked up at him, trying to figure out who it was. He was wearing a plain black hoodie and jeans. But that hair.. where had I seen that before? The bronze mess looked so familiar.

It hit me like a ton of bricks. What the hell was _Edward _doing here? Sitting on my front porch, looking like a Greek God.

Wow. Did I really just think of him as a Greek God? I shook my head.

"Edward?" I asked cautiously.

He didn't hear me. His head was moving slightly to the beat of the music, and his eyes were shut. I realized I hadn't moved since I recognized him.

I walked up the rest of the way, and lightly kicked his chair. He jumped a mile out of his chair, looking up at me, shocked. Using the key under the eve to open the door, I let myself into the house, waving him in after me. He took out his headphones, and I thought I heard him mutter, "Do I have the right address?"

"Bella?" he asked.

"Edward, what are you doing here?"

Recognition flooded his features when he realized I didn't know he was coming. "Surprise?" he shrugged, smiling.

Oh, dear Lord. His smile was to die for.

Bella shut up, I told myself.

"Where's Elizabeth?" I asked. I didn't mean to be rude, but I wasn't exactly close to him as a kid. _Oh, how I wish it were the opposite,_ I thought.

"On her way with the moving van," he murmured.

"What?" I asked incredulously.

"Did Renee not tell you?" Edward asked, not answering my question.

"Tell me what?"

"Obviously not," he laughed. "We're moving in."

"Seriously?"

"Why do you seem so shocked? Renee said you were on board with this," he said.

My head processed the words for a moment.

"BELLA!" a high-pitched voice yelled, still managing a sing-song voice. Alice.

I had talked to Alice on the phone more than Renee would have liked. She told me all the time that we didn't have unlimited long-distance calling. We were restricted to email after a while of too expensive phone bills.

"Alice!" I yelled back, spinning around to the direction of her voice.

She slammed into me, crushing me in a hug.

"Bella!"

"Alice, you said that already," I told her with a laugh.

"I know, but I haven't seen you in forever. Literally," she said, shooting Edward a look when he laughed at her.

"Alice, let go of the poor girl!" Elizabeth said from behind us.

"Aunt Liz!" I exclaimed, turning around again.

"Bella," she said sweetly. I wriggled out of Alice's hold and hugged Elizabeth.

"Are you surprised?" Alice asked, nearly bouncing up and down.

"That's an understatement," I told them honestly.

I realized their stuff was all sitting outside, and I briefly wondered what they had brought. Surely they wouldn't have brought beds or anything yet. I mean, we don't have the basement finished or anything.

"I don't know that Mom was thinking correctly," I told them. "We aren't exactly planned for this."

"Renee said you three could clean up the basement for Edward for now," Elizabeth said.

"That's ridiculous. I'll talk to her when she gets home," I said.

"Bella, really, I don't mind sleeping down there," he argued.

"Edward, really, there's spiders down there," I countered.

He shrugged, unmoved by spiders. Typical guy.

"I don't have enough food to cook for dinner," I said as the fact dawned on me.

"Bella, Renee made reservations at a restaurant in Portland. Stop worrying," Elizabeth said.

I laughed. "I can't help it!"

I helped them carry in their bags of clothes. I pulled out the air mattress for Edward, apologizing for him having to sleep on the floor. He shooshed me, assuring me it wasn't a big deal.

I also helped Alice hang up nearly half her bag in my closet. She tsked me for my 'poor selection' and told me she would simply _have_ to fix that problem. Apparently, she had become quite the fashionista in the years we were apart.

Elizabeth was hanging clothes up in the closet of the guest room.

Renee came home somewhere in the midst of this.

"Mom, can I talk to you for a second?" I called downstairs.

She came up the stairs and went to her room waving for me to follow her in.

"It's a shame I missed the look on your face. Did they tape it?" she joked.

I just stared at her.

"Bella?" she asked. "I thought this was what you wanted."

"No, I don't mean that," I started. "I mean.. it's just.. why didn't you tell me?"

"They aren't moving in _today, _Bells," she said.

"Huh?" I asked, confusion evident in my voice.

"They're just staying for a few days. You have school tomorrow, but you have Monday and Tuesday off, right?"

I nodded. They were spraying the school for bugs over the weekend, and we weren't allowed in it for 'two to three days'.

"If you don't have tests or anything tomorrow, I'll let you stay home," she said.

I thought for a second, thankful the stars were in my favor. "Nope, nothing that can't be made up on Wednesday."

"Perfect," she said. "I'm just going to get out of my work clothes, and I'll be ready to go."

"Alright, I'll spread the news."

I went into my room, to find Alice digging through my closet.

"Alice, what are you doing?"

"Finding something for you to wear to dinner," she said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh," I replied lamely.

"Bella?" she asked.

"Oh, no. Not happening," I said as she eyed my face and hair.

"Come on, it's been _years_. You still don't like make-overs?" she asked, shocked.

"Nope." I crossed my hands over my chest stubbornly.

"God, you're no fun," she said, pouting. "Pretty please?"

I sighed. She knew I couldn't resist that pout. "Fine," I sighed.

"Yay!" she said. I spun around to go downstairs as she said, "Good to know that look still works on you, Bella."

I rolled my eyes, not bothering to reply.

Edward was sitting on the sofa, watching the TV. I sat down on the opposite end of the sofa, placing a pillow on my lap. I played with the frayed fabric, wondering if I should say something.

"Hello, Bella," Edward said, beating me to the punch.

"Hey," I said, most likely sounding like a retard. After a moment of silence, I said, "So, do you know what we're doing while you're here?"

He shook his head. "Nothing, really. I know Alice does."

"How come you drove separately?" I asked, curiously. I had been meaning to ask before Alice had came in and practically tackled me.

"Oh, I wanted to be able to drive to Emmett's or Jasper's. No offense, but a house full of women won't be exactly fun for me."

I nodded, understanding perfectly. I wouldn't want to be stuck in a houseful of guys. Especially if half of them were related to me.

Barely a minute passed before Alice called me back upstairs.

"Strip," she said, throwing the outfit she picked out at me.

"Alice, you know I don't swing that way," I joked.

She laughed. "Shut up," she said with a smile on her face.

I put on the outfit she had picked out and let her straighten my hair. I refused to let her do my make-up, and she complied unhappily. She warned me she wouldn't be so lenient in the future. I laughed, really hoping she was kidding.

We piled in Renee's car to go to the restaurant, with me squished between Edward and Alice in the back. Renee likes to turn corners as sharp as possible, so I was continuously being thrown across Edward's lap. Not that I minded. He would always laugh and help me back upright. Maybe I was imagining it, but his hands seems to linger on my arm or my waist each time. I decided I was just imagining it.

Dinner was boring. We ate, we went home. The only sound was Alice's breathing next to me in the bed, and the air pump still blowing up the air mattress downstairs.

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**Reviewers get to sleep on the airbed with Edward!**


	6. Cheese Eggs, Toast, and Strawberry Jelly

**I've got a feeling, guys. Tonight's gonna be a good night. Tonight's the night! Let's live it up! I've got my money, let's spend it up. Go out and smash it! Like _oh my GAWD._ Jump off that sofa! Let's kick it.. up!**

No, but seriously, I'm sorry I didn't update. I had half of it written and it was flowing smoothly. I figured, "Hey, I'll finish and post again tonight!" That was until I found out the book I had on hold at the library was now available for me. (Impulse by Ellen Hopkins, thumbs up already!) I then realized in order to read that, I would have to finish Wuthering Heights. So I stopped writing and began reading. Then I got stuck at the mall all day Wednesday, Thursday I don't remember why I didn't write, and Friday I had to go to my dad's. But alas, here I am updating on Saturday. FINALLY. But enough about me, on to the storyyy.

Thanks for editing, Siob. She has told me like 3592890 times that her favourite line is "I smell food."

**Disclaimer:** No, I am not Mrs. Meyer.

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Chapter 6**

**BPOV**

I woke up earlier, my body not up-to-date with the news that Renee was letting me skip today. I glanced at the clock to see it was only 7a.m.

I grabbed my iPod to keep me entertained for an hour or so while I waited for everyone else to get up. I didn't want to go downstairs while Edward was still sleeping.

I'd gone through maybe fifteen songs when Alice rolled over and yawned. She stretched her arms above her head.

"Morning," she said sleepily.

I smiled. "Headphone?" I offered her one ear bud.

We listened to music together until we heart footsteps downstairs. I took out my headphone and handed her the iPod.

"Breakfast, anyone?" I asked her.

She raised her hand, laughing.

We went downstairs, and scrounged through the kitchen, looking for food.

"The soup de jour seems to be eggs. We have a full carton, shockingly," I told her.

"Do you want to make scrambled eggs and toast?" she asked.

"Looks like it's that or cereal, so yeah," I said.

"Pans?" she asked, checking cupboards.

"This one," I said, using my foot to point to it as I opened the fridge.

"Wow, Bella, you stood on one foot without falling," she teased, pulling out a large pan to cook the eggs in.

We whisked the milk and eggs together and sprinkled in a little salt and pepper while the pan heated along with popping bread into the toaster. She then mixed up the eggs in the pan as it cooked, while I got out shredded cheese.

"Should we leave some plain?" I thought aloud.

"Not unless Renee likes them plain. Edward and Mom like them with cheese," she informed me.

I nodded at the information. I took out the toast and put in a few more slices of bread.

"I smell food," Edward said from the living room.

"Wow! Good job, Edward!" Alice said as if she were praising a dog.

"What's cooking?" he asked, ignoring Alice out of habit.

"Look around, pretty boy. You're smart; I'm sure you'll figure it out," Alice told him.

"Wow, two compliments at once. Feeling nice today, Alice?" Edward asked.

"Huh?" Alice asked, not realizing what she said.

"Pretty and smart," I reminded her.

"Damn," she muttered.

"So we're eating eggs?" he asked.

"Yep. Here you go," Alice said, handing him an egg straight from the carton.

He chuckled and gently placed the egg back in the container. "Very funny," he commented.

"Aren't I always?"

"Oh, most definitely," he said sarcastically.

"If you're just going to stand there, make yourself useful," I told him. "Set the table."

I handed him plates and napkins.

"Glasses are here," I said, opening the cupboard for the glasses, "and silverware is here." I pulled open the silverware drawer.

He looked dumbfounded that he was asked to help. "Come on pretty boy," I teased. "Surely you've set a table before."

I buttered all the toast and set the plate in the center of the table.

Elizabeth and Renee came down with perfect timing to catch the last of our teamwork-cooking-style. Edward was putting milk and orange juice on the table, Alice was pouring cheese into the eggs while I mixed it in. We set the pan on an oven mitt on the table.

"Thank you for cooking breakfast, ladies," Elizabeth said to us.

Edward coughed.

"Hey, all you did was set the table," I said.

"Well, thank you for setting the table, Edward," Renee added.

"You're welcome," he said, ever-polite.

"It was slim pickings on what we could make," I explained.

"I was thinking Edward could drive you three to the grocery store today, if he doesn't mind too much," Renee said. "I'll give you three money and you can stock up for the weekend."

"I was actually going to- ow!" he complained. "Sure, I'd love to go to the grocery store," he said, shooting a glare at Alice.

Elizabeth gave both her kids a warning look that said 'behave.' I broke the silence by laughing.

"What?" I asked when they all looked at me. "You can't pretend that wasn't funny."

Alice laughed. "I think it was Edward's face when I kicked him," she smirked.

Edward rolled his eyes and took a bite of his odd strawberry jelly-toast-egg combination sandwich. I grimaced, watching him.

"What's that look for? It's good," he defended.

"Strawberry jelly, scrambled eggs- with cheese, and toast. Yes, sounds delightful," I said.

"I'm sensing a little bit of hostility here," Edward said.

"Nonsense," I said over-the-top happily.

"Don't knock it 'til ya try it," he said. "Take a bite." He extended the half-eaten piece to toast to me. I looked at it as if were from another planet.

"Oh, come on. Don't be a baby," he said with a smirk on his face.

"How do I know you don't have cooties?" I joked.

"Please?" he added.

I took a small bite of it. I grimaced, chewing and swallowing. It wasn't awful, but I wasn't about to let Edward know that.

"How can you not like it?" he asked.

"It tasted like.. I don't even know," I said. That wasn't lying, technically.

He laughed. "Your loss. More for me," he said.

Alice shook her head.

"I'll wash, you dry?" Elizabeth bargained with Renee.

It was pretty much the rule in our house. You cook, you don't have to clean up. You don't cook, you have to clean up the meal.

"Are we still meeting with Lily and Rosalie and Jasper tomorrow for lunch?" I asked.

"I'm pretty sure," Renee said. "And I think Esme and Emmett are coming, too."

Edward looked please that he'd get to see the guys.

"Knowing how things usually turn out, we'll go to Rosalie and Jasper's afterwards," Alice said.

"I don't know about that," Renee said with a laugh. We'll see where things take us."

"That's a yes," I said.

After breakfast, I cleaned up my room a bit while Alice showered. She came back in the room wrapped in a towel.

"Shower's open, grab it before Edward does," she said with a grin.

I took a quick shower, then grabbed a pair of jeans and a plain gray tee. Definitely not Alice-approved, considering I was planning on throwing my hoodie on. I had left it downstairs on the couch, so I'd just grab it on the way out.

I pulled my wet hair back in a ponytail and went downstairs. Alice grimaced at my outfit and hair.

"Bella," she complained.

"Alice," I mimicked.

Edward chuckled. "Al, leave her alone. It's raining and we're going to the grocery store."

"Fine." She pouted. "But don't think I'll go easy on you in the future," she added with a glare.

I grabbed my hoodie off the couch and headed out to the Volvo, putting it on. It didn't smell like my clothes usually did. It smelled... fantastic. There were no words to describe it. I wondered briefly if Renee bought new laundry detergent and I just didn't notice. I say briefly because my thoughts were interrupted by Edward's voice.

"Stealing now, Swan? Shame on you," he said. I looked down, wondering what I could have possibly stolen.

"My hoodie," he explained.

"This is mine," I argued, not knowing how I could possibly have taken his.

"You've changed your name to Masen?" He smirked.

I pulled the fabric up so I could look at the back. Shit. It did say Masen on it.

"I'm sorry, my hoodie was on the couch, too. I must have grabbed yours. I'll go put it-"

"Bella, shut up." He cut me off. "It's fine. I don't have a problem with you wearing it."

The idea of him wanting me to wear his hoodie- with his name on it- made my head hurt. He probably figured most people would assume it was Alice's not his. Or maybe he figured we wouldn't see anyone.

Alice gave me a look that said 'What the hell? We'll talk later.'

"Bella you should sit shotgun so you can direct Edward to the grocery store," Alice said.

Sure, that's her explanation now, but I know how her brain works. She'll use this against me later. I could see it now. 'Bella, come on. I let you sit up front with Edward when we went to the grocery store! Please?' She would pout, and I would cave. She was an evil little thing.

I got in the car without arguing though. Forks was small; it wasn't like store would have been hard for him to find without me. I led him regardless, barely having to tell him anything.

We got food of every variety. I tried to keep it mostly healthy, but Alice and Edward are like little kids. 'Let's get this!', 'Oh, we need this!' every five minutes. I grabbed the basics, bread, fruit, veggies for salad, and milk. We got stuff for spaghetti and chicken with potatoes. By the time we checked out, we spent over $100 on food. Surprising, but not necessarily shocking. There were five of us to feed, after all.

We carried in the food and put it all away. Elizabeth and Renee volunteered to make lunch, saying they'd call us when it was done.

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**Review and you get to (pretend to) steal Edward's hoodie!**


	7. Should've Knocked on Wood

**I have no excuses. My life is just busier than I would have thought. I'll make it up to you though. There will be another chapter today, as soon as I finish typing it.**

**I have no Beta today. Just me, myself, and I. Siob's gone for a month. D:!  
Yeah, sure. I suppose I could have got another person to edit, but I'm lazy. =P Just let me know if anything is wrong with it.**

**Disclaimer: Please. Just please. Me? Own Twilight? *scoffs*  
**

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Chapter 7**

**BPOV**

"Bella, toss me those shorts," Alice told me. Together the two of us were repacking her bag to go home.

I threw the shorts, effectively whipping them into her side.

"Thanks," she said sarcastically.

"Welcome!" I grinned.

"I still can't believe they canceled on us," she said.

She didn't have to elaborate on 'they' for me to know who they were. Rosalie, Jasper, and Emmett-along with their parents- canceled the lunch plans we had. Apparently Jasper gave them all the stomach flu. Lovely, right? I know.

I folded up another shirt and set it next to the bag. 'Duffle bags are perfect. Not too big, but not too little,' Alice had explained earlier.

"I know. I feel bad they're sick though," I replied. "I'm actually surprised Emmett got sick. He's always saying he's too tough to get sick."

Alice laughed. "He should have knocked on wood."

"Seems like it," I said.

"You ready, Alice?" Edward's voice from behind me made me jump.

"Holy crow. Warn a person before scaring the living hell out of them," I complained.

"Sorry," he said, the crooked grin playing on his lips telling a whole different story.

"Yeah, just the shoes I brought need to be packed," she told him.

"Great, this could take the rest of the day," Edward joked.

"I'm surprised; I don't think she brought more than five with her," I added.

"Wow, really? I would have thought she'd bring more."

"You can stop talking about me like I'm not here," Alice said, glaring from one of us to the other. "I'm done." Her arms were full of shoes.

We packed up the back of Elizabeth's car. Edward left before they did. Alice and Elizabeth stayed long enough to mooch lunch off us. We waved good-bye as they descended the driveway and began the journey home.

"So," I said casually to Renee.

"So," she repeated. "What a conversation starter, Bells."

"Do you know what the plan is for the basement?" I asked.

"I do, actually," she said. "We're going to finish it off with two bedrooms and fix up the bathroom already there. You'll move from your room to mine- that is, unless you want to stay in yours. Alice can take the guest room and Edward can take your old room. Of course, you can work that out between yourselves if you don't like those room arrangements. Liz and I will take the downstairs bedrooms."

"We'll need to hire a contractor, right?"

"Actually, Lilly has a friend that does contracting for a living. We're going to have him come over and give us an estimate," she explained.

I loved how everything was working out perfectly. It was like pieces of a puzzle, falling into place. It would take a little effort on our part, but in the end it'd be worth it.

"Estimate of time or money?"

"Both. We're hoping a month and a half at most. Liz wanted to swap before school was out, for whatever reason."

"Why not just wait until summer? Isn't that easier?"

"They can't afford their house, though, honey," she said.

"I understand that, but-" I stopped what I was going to say, suddenly having another thought to ask. "How are we going to afford this?"

"That's why we're getting an estimate. I should have enough savings to build a few walls, don't you think?"

"You can skim my college account if you need to," I offered.

"I'm not touching your money for school, Bella."

And people wondered where I got my stubborn ways from.

"We'll just order a pizza for dinner," she said, changing the subject before I could agrue. "That okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine with me."

Tyler Crowley, one of my guy friends from school, happened to be working at the pizza place this evening. I assume he heard 'Swan' and jumped for the chance to deliver it here. Then again, he could just work delivering _every _day.

Tyler, along with Mike Newton and Eric Yorkey, had asked me out first chance they got. Of course, I didn't get it nearly as bad as Rosalie. Rosalie is beautiful. She has long blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and a figure that models would trade their soul for. I'd say at least 98% of the men at our school either A) asked her out, or B) thought about it, but chickened out. She had turned them all down. The only person I know for a fact she dated was a kid name Royce. They seemed to be the perfect couple up until Rosalie came to my house crying one day. She was disheveled and didn't want to go home to have them ask questions. She ended up spending the night. She didn't tell me what happened, other than, "He's not what I thought he was," and that she broke up with him.

I, on the other hand, turned down everyone who asked. They were only asking, I'm sure, because they'd either dated all the other girls or were excited that I was new. Nothing special about Plain Jane me.

The next day, Angela found me before school.

"You know, you pick the perfect day to 'get sick'," she informed me, putting air quotes around 'get sick'.

I smiled. "And why's that?"

"You managed to get out of every class with no homework. The only thing you missed was a quiz in Bio. The rest was movies or notes. You can copy my notes, of course," she said. "Oh, and Mike asked Jessica to go out with him. It's all she could talk about. _All_ day."

I laughed. Jessica had wanted Mike to ask her out for ages. As long as I've been here, pretty much. You can only imagine how pissed she was when he asked me to the dance the first year I was here. She hated me for the longest time, until she realized that I said no and there was no reason to hate me.

I suppose you could call Jessica one of my closest friends. She can be annoying at times, like when she's picking sides in a fight, but other than that she's okay. She talks a lot and doesn't require much feedback.

Angela is definitely one of my closest friends. She's nicer than anyone I have met here. Unlike Jessica, when she talks, she gives you time to reply. Her words are usually for a reason, not just to fill empty space.

"Well, I'm glad he finally did," I said. "Do you know where he's taking her?"

"Actually, I think they were going to Seattle to go bowling," she said.

"Bowling?" I asked, not sure if I heard correctly. Who went bowling on a first date? How romantic.

She nodded, and I had to laugh at how serious she looked.

"Huh. I wouldn't have pictured Jess as the bowling type," I said.

"Please, that girl would jump through hoops on a date with Mike," Angela said with a smile.

The warning bell rang, ending our conversation. We split, rushing to our classes in the one minute we had left.

Lunch came slower than I would have liked. Bio and math had seemed to drag by boringly. Mostly notes in both classes, along with making up the quiz in Bio. I was beginning to think the clock had stopped moving by the time it was five minutes to lunch. Finally the bell rang, dismissing us to go eat.

I headed to the lunchroom, stopping in the lunch line to fill a tray with food.

I looked around the cafeteria for Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper at our usual table. Jessica, Angela, and crew usually sat by us too.

"You know, I heard that big guy is dating the blonde girl at their table," I heard someone say behind me.

I laughed. Alice had always said that Emmett and Rosalie would make a good couple. They had scoffed her off, claiming it was merely friendship in the air. Truth is, we could all see the sparks but them. We were just waiting for the moment it clicked in their brains. Although it may seem they were dating, I was sure I wouldn't find out _after_ the rumors started. I knew Rose would tell me before the school found out.

I sat down next to Jasper, Rosalie across from me, Emmett next to her, and Angela on my other side.

"I hope your basement gets finished soon, Bella," Rosalie said.

"Why? Got a crush on Edward?" I teased.

"No, ew. I miss seeing Alice all the time."

I rolled my eyes. "Ew? Seriously, Rose?"

She nodded. "Well, okay, not ew. But not my type."

"Anyways," Emmett said, changing the subject. "You gonna eat that?" he asked, pointing at the half-eaten pizza on my plate.

I pushed it to him.

"Thanks, Bells." He grinned.

I nodded, picking up the apple on my plate. I tossed it around in my hands a few times, listening to the meaningless chatter from Jessica. Something about not wanting to wear bowling shoes that other people have worn before her. I laughed and rolled my eyes. Typical Jessica.

I finished off the food on my tray, standing up and throwing it away just in time for lunch to be over.

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**Review, please and thank you. [=**


	8. Paint Fight

**As promised, here it is. We're almost to the part that I'm looking foward to writing. ;]**

**Again, no Beta.**

**Again, not mine.**

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Chapter 8**

**BPOV**

Friday. I love Friday's. Friday means last day of school that week. Friday means two day break. Friday also means Alice, Edward, and Elizabeth would be coming into town for the weekend.

The contractors we hired had gotten permits from the city, bought the materials, and put up the two-by-four wall structures. The basement was framed, wired for electricity, and ready with plumbing within two weeks. At this point, we took a sharpie and wrote our names on all the two-by-fours, drawing pictures of each other and putting graffiti everywhere. The drywall company came out to give us an estimate two days later. They said it would take them a week to put up all the drywall. That was last week. I hadn't been down there since Tuesday. Renee decided her and Elizabeth were going to tile the bathroom themselves. Alice, Edward, and I were in charge of painting. This weekend we were getting a cabinet for the bathroom. Since there was only the one cabinet, just the one for the sink, us 'children' were instructed to stay home and primer the walls. We had to sand down the creases where each chunk of drywall meets before we could start painting.

"You know, we haven't talked about rooming at all," Alice said.

"What do you mean?" Edward asked.

"She means upstairs. We don't know which of the three of us gets which room," I explained.

"Yeah. Renee said I get the guest room, Bella moves to her old one, and Edward gets Bella's. But then she said Bella could stay in her room and we could fight over the master bedroom," she said.

"I honestly don't care. It's just a room," he said. "Whatever you two want is fine with me."

"Well, my room is already pale blue. It's been like that since we moved here. The curtains are yellow," I said. "Sound appealing, Edward?"

He turned around to grin at me. "Of course. I've always wanted a room with those colors."

"We'd repaint it, smart one," Alice said.

"Thanks, Alice. I wasn't aware of this fact," Edward said sarcastically.

I gasped. "We have to... repaint my beautiful room?" I gasped again.

Edward chuckled. "It's okay, Bella," he mock-comforted me. "It will be prettier gold."

"Gold?" I laughed. "You want my room to be gold?"

He shrugged. "It won't be yours anymore. That's what mine has always been. I like it gold."

"It could be mine if I wanted it to be," I told him.

"You'd give me it, though. I have my ways," he said.

"You should know by now that I'm stubborn."

"And you should know by now that that won't help you." He smirked.

"It can and it will," I said.

"We'll see," he replied.

I continued sanding, moving down the wall, closer to the wall he was working on. I groaned internally. Not a good idea.

"Real mature, Edward," Alice said.

I turned to see what Edward was doing just in time to breathe in the drywall dust from his sandpaper. I sneezed, and he took the moment my eyes were closed to attack me. He wound one arm around my waist, the other tickling me. I couldn't stop laughing. My eyes were watering and I could barely breathe.

"Edward!" I squealed. "Let me go!"

"Not until you cave," he said.

I saw Alice sneak over to us. I felt Edward try to keep himself standing when Alice pounced on his back. Her hands wrapped around his neck.

"I love you, brother dearest," she said evilly.

I turned my head to see Alice wipe a handful of primer on his face.

"Alice!" he yelled, letting me go to wipe his face off.

I bit my lip, trying hard not to laugh. Alice's legs were wrapped around his waist, her feet locked together. He had both hands trying to pry them apart. His face was covered in white paint.

"Oh my God." I couldn't hold it in. I burst out laughing.

"You think this is funny?" he asked.

"Yes." I gulped.

"Of course you do." He started towards me. I backed up. My back hit the wall.

"Shoot," I mumbled.

Alice covered his eyes with her hand that didn't have paint on it, but he kept walking to me. I moved sideways along the wall so I was out of his line of fire. He, thinking I was still there and being unable to see, ran into the wall. He probably expected me to put my arms out to stop him, but I wasn't standing there. I laughed out loud. He spun in the direction of my voice.

I tripped over the tarp we had on the floor, laughing even harder. Edward followed the sound of my voice. He extended a hand to help pull me up. I grasped it, and allowed him to help me up. Another bad idea on my part.

He pulled me into him, scooping me in his arms bridal style. He brought me over to the paint bucket, placing my head inches from the white goop.

"I'm beginning to think he can still see," Alice said.

"You think so?" I asked sarcastically.

"Still think it's funny?" Edward asked.

I glanced at the paint, inches from my head.

"I'm gonna have to go with yes."

He moved my head closer.

"Still funny. I don't think you have the guts to dip my head in it," I challenged.

"Bella, shut up. Your hair is in it already," Alice informed me.

Shit.

"Okay, okay. It isn't funny."

A flash went off, and we all looked in the direction of the light.

Standing there, camera in hand, were Renee and Elizabeth.

Edward put me down and Alice jumped down from Edward's back.

"Um, hi Mom!" I greeted them.

Elizabeth and Renee looked at each other and grinned.

"We never could trust you with paint," they said.

"What?" Alice asked.

"Don't you remember when you three, plus Rosalie, Jasper, and Emmett had that finger paint fight? You were supposed to be making banners for the school," Elizabeth explained.

I laughed. I did remember that. We had this massive paint fight, and the only words Renee said were 'Thank God you did this outside. You're washing off with the hose, you know.' That turned it into a water fight, including buckets and the hose. We came inside dripping, asking if they had a tarp we could use for a slip 'n' slide with the soap. I'm pretty sure they thought we lost our minds.

Alice and Edward had blank faces, not remembering this.

"Remember the garbage bag slip 'n' slide we did? It started with the paint fight," I told them.

"Ohhh," they said in unison, dragging out the word.

"Well, as long as we have the camera, smile!" Renee said.

Alice put her arm around Edward's shoulders, and I did the same. Edward put his arms around our waists, and we grinned cheesy grins for the camera.

"Alright, finish painting, ladies and gentleman," Elizabeth told us.

We saluted them and got back to work.

Eventually, I went up and got a radio so we could blast music through the basement.

It took us all day, but we finished it up. The paint would be dry enough by the next day to splash a little color on the walls. Of course, if we really 'splashed' the color, Renee and Elizabeth might just kill us.

* * *

**Pointless chapter? Yes. Fun to imagine? Yes.**

**Please, I'm begging you. If you story alert or favorite, at least review _once_. I want to hear what you guys think. Of course, you don't _have_ to. It would just be greatly appreciated.  
**


	9. The Move

**Wow, so I fail at updating. So, so sorry for the wait. No Beta again, for I am impatient and yeah. The sad part about me not updating, is I know where I'm taking this and I have all these ideas for the entire story. I'm always either too busy or too forgetful to sit and type a chapter. There are days where I'm on the computer all day, then I go to bed and I'm like "Ah, hell. I could have typed up that chapter today."  
**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Twilight,**

**

* * *

Chapter Nine**

**BPOV**

I sat on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket, staring out the window. I wasn't entirely sure how I was sitting still. There was to be a moving truck to come today. From Phoenix. Filled with all their furniture. Maybe it's just me, but the moving truck feels like the last step, the last part of the puzzle. Everything has fallen into place.

Every room has been repainted, furniture has been rearranged, bathrooms have been cleaned from top to bottom. If I didn't know it was my house, I wouldn't recognize it. I really wouldn't. Sure, all the furniture is ours, but not for long. Soon, the very couch I'm sitting on will be poof, gone. (Elizabeth's couch is nicer than ours. Charlie offered to 'take this one off our hands'.)

Speaking of Charlie, he's been asking me to spend time with him. It's pissing Renee off, because he calls and talks to me, but doesn't care to fill her in. He shows up here when he needs something, such as laundry, a can opener, the like. I keep telling him I need to help out with this, and that school is taking up most of my time, though I know I can't put it off forever. Once this whole moving in mess is over with, he's probably going to take me for a weekend or something. Where the hell is he even living? It scares me that I don't have an answer to that. Watch, he'll be like, "Come on over, Bells!" and I'll end up camping in a tent with him.

Okay, that's a depressing thought. I don't want to camp. Subject change, dear old brain.

As if listening to my thoughts, Elizabeth and Renee pulled the moving van across our street, parking in front of the house. A smaller moving van, but much needed, pulled up behind the larger one. I waved to Edward and Alice, who occupied the small van's cabin part.

Two different cars pulled up behind the moving vans. Jasper and Rosalie, along with their dad, got out of one car, Emmett and his dad got out of the one behind it. The plan was they would come over to help unpack and move furniture, and we'd barbeque for dinner. Lilly, Jasper and Rosalie's mom, and Molly, Emmett's mom, were meeting us here for dinner.

"Hey Bells!" Emmett said, squishing me into a bear hug. "Rose!" He let go of me to wrap his arm around her waist, some sort of hug. His arm lingered longer than it should have. Mental note to point out to Alice.

I looked to Renee and Elizabeth, to see them opened the back of the van. From here I could see beds, couches, and boxes galore.

"Frageelay. I wonder what that means," Emmett said, trying to be funny.

We spent the rest of the day bringing in boxes and furniture, piling everything up. Edward's things went to the guest room, Alice's to Renee's old room. We decided to make things easy, and leave me in my own room. Renee's things were already moved downstairs, and Elizabeth's got brought down today.

While the men barbequed burgers, us girls began unpacking the boxes. Photos of Edward and Alice joined the wall of my school pictures, their family photos meshing with ours like they had always been there. New- well, new to our home- glasses and plates and silverware joined our kitchen cabinets and drawers.

"Bella, why don't you, Alice, and Rosalie go start unpacking Alice's things?" Renee suggested, clearly code for 'grown up talk now, you must leave.'

We headed upstairs. The bed sat in the middle of the room, piled with boxes. Her dresser was along one wall, there was a desk not quite against the other, and clothing bags. So, so many clothing bags.

"Where do we start?" Rosalie asked.

"Everything is labeled. Every box has a place, it just needs to go there. So I'm thinking furniture first," Alice said.

We pushed the bed where Alice wanted it, followed by the rest of it. We then began unpacking clothes, reminding me why I hated to do laundry. Folding, putting away. Gah. I have never folded and put away and hung up so many clothes in my life.

We helped make the bed and tape up posters. By the time we had finished, all that was left was to unpack the things to go in the desk.

"So, Rose. What was that with Emmett when you two got here?" Alice asked. Obviously, she noticed too.

Her face flushed red, a rare occasion. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Lies. Spill," Alice ordered.

"I just never noticed how, er, attractive he is before. The way his arm feels around my waist, how safe I feel around him, how just thinking of him makes me smile..." she trailed off.

"Aw!" Alice and I squealed.

"You two should go out," I told her.

"I don't see why you shouldn't," Alice agreed.

"I'm just waiting for him to make the move," she told us.

"God, damn. That boy is blind. You need to kick up the flirting, or get some guts," Alice said.

"I agree. Guts is definitely something you need," I said.

"You have no reason to talk, missy. I see the way you and Edward look at each other when you don't think anyone is looking," Alice called me out.

I could feel the color flush my face. "Not true," I defended no better than Rosalie had.

"Edward and Bella?" Rosalie looked from Alice to me to out the window to back to me again. "I can see it."

"What?" I said, shocked. She could _see _it? See what? There was nothing there!

"She said 'I can see it'," Alice explained, mocking my shock.

"No fair, we can't make fun of you and Jasper, considering you're already together," she said.

"Have been, always will. I love him," Alice said.

"Isn't it a bit early in life to love someone?" I asked, curious.

"Bella, when you love someone, age doesn't matter. You know that if the world exploded around you and left you only with him, everything would still be okay. I've always loved him."

Well, doesn't that give you something to ponder.

"Alice, Rosalie, Bella! FOOD!" Emmett yelled in the direction of our window.

We had two tables set up outside, one for the 'adults' and one for the 'kids'. Teenagers, and we still get a kid's table.

"You're transferring schools, right?" Emmett asked with a mouthful of food.

"No, Emmett. We're just staying home for the next two months. We're going to summer school, instead," Alice said.

The sarcasm went right over his head. "Why would you want to go to school in the summer?"

Alice smacked her forehead.

"Oh," he said, realizing she wasn't serious. "You can sit with us at lunch."

"Why are you so stupid?" Jasper asked.

"What do you mean?" he asked. "I'm just telling them!"

"Of course they're sitting with us. Do they _know_ anyone else from Forks?"

"Oh. Good point," Emmett said. "You never know, though."

"Anyone else want to smack him?" Edward spoke up.

I raised my hand. Alice laughed.

"Do you have your schedule yet?" Jasper asked, directing the question more towards Alice than Edward.

"No, we're supposed to pick them up in the office on Monday," she answered.

"I'll go with you," I offered.

"Thanks, Bella," Edward said.

I smiled. "No problem."

"So," Emmett said. "I don't mean to be rude, but are you going to go with Charlie? Dad said Charlie wanted to take you for a weekend."

Everyone looked at him like it was a topic that should not be talked about.

"It's okay, guys. I don't know, Emmett. I really don't."

Did I?


	10. DaddyDaughter Day

**I decided my reason for not finishing this chapter on Friday when I started makes a great story, so I typed it out. Yes, I have no life. Feel free to skip it. I'm sure you can figure out where the real chapter starts. The real author's note is the stuff in bold. That's all you really need to know. xD**

Jamie woke up Friday morning feeling tired. Her head was full of ideas. She stretched, then reached for the laptop.

She opened Our Hearts Are Locked Forever and began writing. She was halfway through with the fourth page.

"Hell yes. This is going great. I'll definitely have the chapter ready to go by tonight. I'll just save what I have and write the rest of it tonight at Dad's," she said, talking to herself. The dog, who was in her room, looked at her like she was insane. Maybe she was.

She saved her work and set the laptop aside. The day passed by while she did the rest of what she had to do. Come five o' clock, her father comes to pick her up to go to his house.

Her bags were packed and ready to go.

"Ready to go to your aunt's?" he asked.

She looked at him incredulously.

"What are you talking about?" she answered his question with another.

"Does that mean you aren't packed?" he asked another question. It was like a game.

"Of course I'm not packed. I'm packed for YOUR house. Now I have to repack this whole effing bag so I have bathroom shiz."

"Don't swear," he warned.

She gave him a death glare. "Effing and shiz are not swears."

He gave her a look that said, 'You're pushing it.'

"Move. I have to get into the bathroom." She pushed him, literally, out of the way. "Gah. I'm going to hurt you. You _need_ to tell me these things ahead of the time."

She glared at him again.

She looked at her laptop, knowing she could no longer bring it along and finish her chapter. She frowned.

The next day, she went straight from her aunt's to a family reunion. Her mother decided it was a brilliant plan to bring home her cousin. Another reason to add to the list of "Why Jamie can't finish the chapter." So, her and Erika, said cousin, sleep out in the family room. Jamie's mother comes in at 10:00am, two hours earlier than Jamie would have liked, and says, "Wakey wakey! I want to be out of here in an hour."

Erika, Jamie's sister, and Jamie groan. Jamie's mother drags them to her friend's cottage, out by a lake. They are gone all day. Jamie gets home, showers, and passes out in her bed.

She wakes up Monday morning, and begins the same thing as Friday. Now, after many distractions today, she finishes writing and posts it on fanfiction's site.

She apologizes for the long wait again. This week has been the busiest week of her whole summer. She's dead tired still. Her mind wants to get back on track. She's posting right now and then passing out again.

**This chapter was going to be longer, but I decided to split it into two. I really wanted to write the next part after I split the chapters. I *think* I'll write it out tomorrow. Hopefully, if all goes well.**

**Yes, I'm still going unBeta'd. Yes, I still don't own Twilight. Blah. Must I always include that?**

**

* * *

Chapter 10**

**BPOV**

I heard the phone ring, but with four other people home, I didn't bother getting up to answer it. I looked back at my book.

"Bella," Edward said, knocking on my door. "Phone's for you."

I looked over at him.

He mouthed, "It's Charlie" and handed me the handset.

I put the phone to my ear as Edward left the room. "Hello?"

"Hey Bells," Charlie said. "How are you?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm just peachy. And you?"

"I'm pretty good. So listen, I have the night off tonight. I was just thinking, 'I haven't seen my girl in a while. I should call her and see if she wants to hang out with her old man,'" he said.

"What exactly would we do?" I asked, cautiously.

"I was thinking we could go to dinner, maybe go to Port Angeles and see if there are any movies playing. You could spend the night here..." he trailed off.

"Whoa, hold it. Dad, it's still a school night. I can't spend the night with you," I resisted the urge to throw in 'where ever the hell you are.'

"Oh, right. Well, we could still go out to eat and see a movie together. Father-daughter bonding. What do you say?"

"I don't know, Dad. Can I call you back in like ten minutes?"

"Sure, Bella," he said. "You have the number."

"Bye Dad."

I hung up before I could hear him say goodbye.

"Mom?" I called, getting up out of the bed and walking downstairs.

She was in the kitchen, cutting up vegetables, most likely for dinner.

"Hey Bella, what's up?" she asked.

"Dad just called."

Her face dropped.

"What did he want?" she asked, hiding the anger from her voice.

"To take me to dinner and a movie in Port Angeles," I told her honestly.

"God, that sounds like a date," she said.

"I know."

"He probably couldn't think of anything else," she said.

I hated this. Hearing them talk about each other with such.. such hate. Such rudeness.

"Thank you for telling me, Bella," she added. "When will he be here to pick you up?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"You weren't asking me for permission, were you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Sort of..?" I said. It came out as more of a question.

"I can't keep you from seeing your father, Bella. You'll probably have to see him every other weekend," she explained. I sighed, hopefully not noticeably.

"I have to call him back. I'll let you know when he's coming. Guess I'm not eating with you guys."

"Guess not," she repeated.

I redialed the number from the Caller ID. It rang once before Charlie answered. He must have been waiting by the phone.

"Hi Dad," I started. "When will you be here to pick me up?"

"You're going? That's great. Uh, I'll be there around five I suppose. You won't need anything then."

"Okay, I'll see you then." Short, sweet, and to the point.

"Goodbye, Bella. Can't wait to see you."

"You too, Dad. Bye."

I set down the phone on the coffee table and plopped down on the sofa.

"Ugh," I said, leaning my head back and closing my eyes.

I felt two hands on my shoulders. I opened my eyes, looking up.

"Hey," Alice said.

I smiled.

She walked around the side of the couch, sitting next to me.

"Dad?" she asked.

"Mmhm," I mumbled, sitting back again.

"At least you can still see him," she said softly.

I looked at her. "Alice," I whispered. "I am so sorry."

"No, it's okay. I just don't want you to lose him," she told me.

"No, it's not okay. I'm being a baby about being seeing my dad while my best friend doesn't even-" I stopped. "I'm sorry," I whispered again. There were tears in her eyes.

I took her hand and pulled her up from the couch. I pulled her into her room, shutting the door.

She sat on the bed. "This is so hard," she said.

"I know."

"You don't know what it's like to grow up without a dad. You _had_ someone to teach you to ride your bike, take you camping, and you remember how they did that _stupid_ daddy-daughter dance at the middle school that we were excited about when we were little? Yeah, well I'm sure you can imagine how great that was when it actually happened. Every Father's day is an awful reminder. God, Bella. I miss him so much," she sobbed.

I wrapped my arms around her. "I never thought of it that way. I'm so sorry." I hugged her tighter as she wept.

We sat like that for a while. Just being together was exactly what we needed.

"Do you hate him?" she asked.

"What?" I asked, confused by the change in subject.

"Your dad. Do you hate him for leaving Renee?"

"I can't hate him. I just can't. He's my father. I can't say I understand his reasoning. Hell, I don't know his reasoning. It feels like he left us, but I know things will get more normal. Mom keeps telling me that it will. That he'll have his weekends and she'll have me the rest of the time. She says he thinks this will bring him and I closer. I don't see how, but that's what he says.

"I don't know how she's getting through this. Renee, I mean. It's hard on me, and I'm not the one he's leaving. She's the strongest person I know," I said.

"That's how our mom is. After Dad passed away, Mom did the same thing Renee is. She was strong. For us."

"They're amazing."

Alice nodded.

"You know," I said, "We should do something fantastic for them for mother's day."

She nodded again.

"Think Edward would pool into the gift?" I asked her.

"He definitely will," she told me.

"So what are you thinking?" I asked just as the door bell rang.

"I'm thinking your dad is here, and we'll talk later," she told me.

"Okay," I said.

"Stop giving me the, 'Please give me an excuse to not do this' look and go see your father," she scolded, then added, "You'll be okay. You don't want to lose him, Bella."

I grabbed a sweater and met Charlie at the door. We walked to the cruiser in silence. Charlie wasn't a man of many words. We were both content with the quiet. There was no need to fill the space with meaningless small talk.

We ate at a pizza place and got to the cinema in time to see a movie playing fifteen minutes later. After getting a cherry Icee and Snow Caps for me, a Coke for Charlie, and a small popcorn for us to share, we found two seats in the middle of the theater.

The movie was 'action-packed' and boring. I wasn't paying much attention to it, to be totally honest. Charlie seemed to enjoy it. When he asked how I liked it afterwards, I lied and said it was good. He nodded, and proceeded to repeat parts. All he needed was an 'mhm' in pauses.

He parked by the curb. I saw Alice look through the curtains in the window upstairs. She saw me look at her, and moved back out of my view.

"Listen, Bella," he said, grabbing my attention. This was the second time he said that today. I resisted the urge to point that out. "I know this is hard. It will get easier. I'll get my own place, and you'll get your own bedroom."

I looked out the wind shield, staring at the rain falling.

"Thanks for dinner, Dad. I'll talk to you soon."

He sighed. "Bye Bells. I love you."

"Love you, too," I said as I got out of the car.

Awkward. Not as bad as I thought it would be, but still not the epitome of fun.

I looked at the clock on the microwave as I passed the kitchen. 8:37p.m.

I went up the stairs, skipping every other one. I grabbed a towel from the hall closet and made a bee-line for the bathroom. After turning on the water to heat up, I plugged in the radio.

Tomorrow, Alice and Edward would be coming to school with me. They'd be starting over. What a fantastic distraction.

I stepped under the hot water, letting it wash away all my thoughts. Although, I can't say it helped. My mind wandered as I washed my hair.

After about half an hour of wasting all the hot water, I stepped out, dried myself off, and shut off the noisy music.

9:13p.m isn't too late to go to bed, right?

I slipped into underwear and pajamas and crawled under the covers. I half hoped Alice would come in to see how it went, merely because I didn't want to sleep. The other half wanted everyone to stay away, at least for a little while.

* * *

**First day of school for Edward and Alice, first Edward's POV, and also first key moment between Edward and Bella next chapter. I want to hear theories. Questions to answer in your review:**

**Do you want Edward's POV?  
How do you think Edward and Bella will have their 'key moment'? (I know what it is, and I'm not changing that. Just curious as to if you lot are in my head.)  
What do you think about Alice and Bella's talk today? **

**I think that's it. Ask me any questions you like. I don't expect my work to make sense. =P**

**Click the little green review button. Leave some love. (:  
**


	11. Chipper Mornings

**I am dedicating this chapter to FREAKER. Cullen, for she is awesome. I loved your review last chapter! Really appreciate all of you guys' input. Thank you for answering my questions.  
**

**Dude. I just started writing this like an hour ago. I think that's a new record for me. I'm proud. xD  
**

**Still unedited. Should start being edited again by next chapter though. (:  
**

**Disclaimer: Twilight. Is. Not. Mine.  
**

**First Edward point of view. Are you ready?**

* * *

**Chapter 11**

**EPOV**

_I heard faint screams and groans of pain. I looked around, looking for the source. It was a girl, that much I could tell. I spun around, somehow finding myself in a forest. A meadow._

A louder version of the scream jolted me awake and out of my own world of dreams.

Bella or Alice. Either way, I climbed out of bed and went to the hallway.

I heard Bella tossing in her bed and nothing from Alice's room.

I knocked on her door, gently enough that she'd hear it if she were awake but if she was sleeping it wouldn't wake her.

Nothing.

I opened the door, grateful it didn't creak.

"No, don't," she said. I froze. Was that directed at me?

I looked at her face. Her eyes were shut tight, her fists clenched around the blanket she was tangled in.

Now, the question here. Do I do what I used to do for Alice? Wake her from the dream? Or do I go back to my room and let her sleep through it?

I opted for the second one when she rolled over a second time and curled in a ball.

"Stay back. I'm warning you," she was saying to her attacker.

I slowly sat on the bed. She didn't stir when the bed shifted under my weight.

"Bella," I said softly. I placed my hand on her shoulder.

"Bella," I said a bit louder.

She closed her eyes tighter and rolled over again, closer to me this time. Her hand found mine, and she grasped it. I rubbed circles on the back of her hand with my thumb.

"Please, stop. Don't touch me," she repeated loudly. She wept in her sleep.

"Bella, wake up," I said. I shook her a bit.

"Edward," she said but didn't stir. "Help."

She was still sleep talking. My breathing hitched. She wanted me- well, dream me- to help her.

I shook her gently again. Her eyes opened, and she looked around startled, tears in her eyes.

"Edward?" she asked, confused.

"It's okay," I said. She realized she was clutching my hand and let go. "It's okay," I repeated.

I gently pulled her up and wrapped my arms around her. She buried her face in my chest.

"Are you okay?" I asked softly.

"Just a dream," she said, more to herself than me. She sniffed.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head.

I rubbed circles on her back as she cried.

"Stay with me?" she whispered.

"Of course," I told her.

She moved over in the small twin sized bed. I wrapped my arms around her, humming a lullaby I'd been working on to her.

Eventually, she slipped back into unconsciousness. I sighed, kissing her forehead before shutting the door and going back to my own bed.

If there was one thing I knew for sure, it was that Bella Swan was something else. Kind. Giving. Never expecting anything in return. She didn't see herself clearly. She was beautiful.

**BPOV**

I woke up to the obnoxious beeping that calls itself my alarm. Strangest, best dream I'd had in a while.

I still felt tired, which made no sense considering the time I went to bed.

I rolled over face down into the pillow. It smelled familiar.. but not like myself. I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

I thought for a moment where I had smelled this before.

Edward. It smells like his hoodie. Ah, hell. My pillow smells like Edward. Shit. So the dream was real; not a dream at all.

I wondered two things at the moment. 1) If he would remember it today. 2) Why he came in to begin with.

Neither of those, hopefully, would get answered. That has got to be the most embarrassing thing in my life.

I went downstairs to eat a bowl of cereal to find Edward and Alice already eating.

Please don't have mentioned anything to Alice, I thought to him silently.

"Morning, Bella!" Alice said, way too chipper for the current time in the morning. She didn't give me a 'I know what you did last night' look, so I figured he didn't tell her.

"Hey, Alice. Excited?" I asked.

"Of course! I want my schedule. I hope we have classes together."

"Slow down, Alice. It's a small school. I'm sure you will," Edward added into the conversation.

She grinned, practically bouncing in her seat.

I looked at Edward. He looked tired, like he hadn't got enough sleep. I wondered if he was nervous for today. It wasn't easy, being a new kid.

Alice shoved away from the table, grabbing her now empty bowl and skipping over to the sink. She quickly rinsed her bowl and skipped out of the room.

"She's like a giant ball of energy," I said, breaking the silence.

"That she is," he said.

I grabbed a bowl and sat down in Alice's place.

"Hey, Bella?" Edward asked.

Uh oh. "Yeah?"

"About last night. I just want you to know that I'm here for you. You were there for us when dad died, and, well, I want to do the same for you. If you ever want to talk, I'm all ears."

Well. That was not exactly expected. Although I was sick of hearing people say roughly that, from him, I knew he meant it. I could tell just by the tone of his voice. Other people said it because they didn't know what else _to_ say. Edward, though, he really cared.

"Thank you," I said softly.

"This must be such a change. It is for me," he said.

"You can say that again."

"This must be such a change. It is for me," he said, a crooked grin spreading across his face.

I rolled my eyes but smiled too.

"I should get ready," he said.

I nodded as he left, not knowing what else to say.

I finished my cereal and headed upstairs to find clothes laid out on my bed.

"Alice," I called. "You are _not_ dressing me everyday."

I heard Edward chuckle quietly before I heard Alice say, "You will wear that and like it. And you're right. I won't dress you every day." She suddenly appeared in my doorway. "You will get the hang of it."

I rolled my eyes for the second time this morning. "If you say so."

I slipped into the outfit, secretly grateful I wouldn't have to dig through the closet and went downstairs. Usually Renee would be up to drive me to school, but with Edward able to drive and owning the Volvo, we had decided we didn't need them. They got to sleep in while we took off for the day.

I sat in the back of the Volvo, making Alice take shotgun while Edward drove us to school.

I gave him the simple directions to the school. He drove faster than Renee, so we got there fairly early.

"Do you want me to go with you to the office and tell you where your classes are, or just give you directions to the office?" I asked them.

"Um. Come with us," Alice said.

I nodded and led them to the main office.

"Hi, dears," Mrs. Cope said. "New faces. You must be Alice and Edward."

They looked at me like, 'How the hell did she know that?'

"Mrs. Cope, they need to pick up their schedules," I said kindly.

"Oh, of course. I have them right here," she said as she began looking around the desk full of cluttered papers.

**EPOV**

The lady, Mrs. Cope, kept staring at me when she didn't think I was looking. I was thankful I didn't read minds then, for I really didn't want to know what she was thinking about me.

As we left the office, Bella bumped me with her elbow. "Looks like Mrs. Cope has a thing for you, Edward."

I groaned, causing both Bella and Alice to giggle. I glanced from my sister to Bella. She had a pretty smile. She blushed when she saw me looking and looked away.

"So," I said casually.

"Hey, Bella. Look at my schedule. What do we have together?" Alice asked her.

Bella took the schedule from Alice and looked at it. Looks like you're in my lunch, my history, and my art class.

"What hour do you have art?" I asked.

"Sixth," she said.

"Ah, that's when I have music."

"Edward, why on Earth are you taking music?" Alice asked.

"What's wrong with music?" Bella asked.

"She's just mad because it's a blow off class. I could probably teach the teacher." I couldn't help but smirk.

"So you've become a music nerd. Got it," she said, smiling right back.

"Which lunch do Rose, Emmett, and Jasper have?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Same as me, and Alice too, apparently. 'B' lunch," she informed me.

"That's mine, too," I said, looking back down at my schedule.

"What a coincidence. Would you like to sit with us or are we below your musically talented stature?" Bella asked.

"Oh, I think you're below my musically talented statue. Although Emmett could very well be a prodigy. Remember the Fourth of July that he played God Bless America with his armpit?" I laughed at the thought.

"Oh, gosh. How could I ever forget that?" Bella said. She laughed. "I think we have three copies of the recording."

"I know we have one," Alice said.

"I'm sure Rose and Jasper each have one," I added.

"That's like seven copies. Poor Emmett," Bella said, smiling.

Bella looked at my schedule, giving me instructions on how to get to my classrooms and the cafeteria.

She did the same for Alice and we split out separate ways until lunch.

* * *

***looks around nervously* So.. did I kill Edward's POV? What did you think?  
I didn't include the lunch part because I figured it would be boring new kid talk. Let me know if you want me to write out that scene though. (:**

((On another random note, Jeff Buckley's song 'Hallelujah' is really good. If you've heard it, and you like it, youtube kapoww90's cover of it. Just search 'kapoww90 hallelujah'.))


	12. Ups and Downs of Lawn Mowing

**Gosh, I fail at updating in the summer. Sorry!**

**So, you may or may not have noticed that I changed my username from jamienicole3x to hiddeninplainsight. There's a reason but I don't feel like getting into that. =P**

**Siob is back and editing for me again! Round of applause, everyone. (: SIOBISTHEMOSTAMAZINGPERSONEVER. That will be all.  
**

**I feel like there's something I'm forgetting to put in here. :O  
**

**Disclaimer: Please, just please.  
**

**

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Chapter 12**

**EPOV**

I grabbed my iPod from its perch in the docking station and plugged in the headphones.

I went down the stairs, not paying attention to my surroundings as I created a playlist to listen to while I did my chores.

"Hey!" the person I rammed into complained.

I looked up into two pools of brown. The phrase 'lost in her eyes' didn't even cover it. "Sorry, Bella."

She smiled. I smiled just seeing her smile. "It's okay. Where you headed?"

"Out to cut the grass," I explained.

"Really?" she asked.

"Why is that shocking?" I asked.

"I was just thinking about how it was going to get cut with Charlie not living here now."

"Oh. I've been cutting our grass since I was tall enough to push the mower," I shrugged. I was used to doing the 'man's work'.

"I didn't even think of you, to be honest," she said. "I thought I was going to have to do it," she joked.

I laughed. "That would be quite a sight."

"And why's that?"

"You can barely walk across a stable surface, love," I replied jokingly. I realized the 'love' part slipped. Hopefully she didn't notice. Hopefully she did.

She just glared at me.

"What? Just speakin' the truth."

She rolled her eyes. "Know where to find it?"

"Yup," I said, popping the 'p'.

"Okay, have fun," she said sarcastically.

I got the push mower out of the garage, checked for gas, and fired it up.

I put on my iPod, turning the volume almost all the way up so I could actually hear over the roar of the mower.

Mowing is an art. You go up, down, up, down the length of the yard. Although, I admit, I used to make crop circles. Drove Elizabeth insane when the neighbors would complain. 'Your yard should be cut in straight lines, not sloppy circles.'

Elizabeth, of course, didn't care what the other homeowner's said. Though, she made me cut straight anyway.

A good mower pushes itself, takes little effort to start, and can handle going over little sticks.

Our old mower was the worst. It took at least four tugs on the pull-start for it to run, and you had to push _hard_ for it to move. The blade was so dull, most things had to be gone over twice.

I heard the clinking of something in the blade over my music. I slowed, but didn't stop, thinking the probably-stick would just come out on its own. The clinking stopped at the same time something hit me in the left leg. God, damnit. I let go of the handle and the safety part, shutting off the mower.

I looked down, half afraid too see the damage. I knew it was going to be bloody. It stung like hell.

I looked down to see a trail of red from just below my knee all the way to my feet. My white socks had a lovely red splatter look going for them.

I sat in the grass, pressing my fingers hard against the wound. Pressure to stop the bleeding, check. Getting to the house? No check there.

"Edward?" I heard Bella's voice call. "Why'd you stop?" she asked.

I looked around to find her. She was sitting in a lawn chair with a book, facing the opposite direction.

"Bella," I called.

She turned around to look at me.

"Oh my God," she said. Her face flushed a green color and her hand flew to her mouth. She looked like she was going to puke.

Blood bothered her? Why did I not remember this?

"I hate to ask, but I need your help," I said loud enough for her to hear.

**BPOV**

I wasn't close to him, but I knew the smell of the blood would make me sick. Just looking at it made me queasy. I couldn't just leave him there, though. I took a deep breath and speed-walked/jogged over to him.

"What happened?" I asked stupidly.

"A rock or something got stuck in the blade," he said.

"You need to tie something around your leg so you don't bleed all over the carpet when we go upstairs to the bathroom," I told him.

"Great. I'm bleeding and all you care about is staining the carpet," he joked. At least I think he was joking. He wasn't looking at his cut, he was looking at me. I met his eyes and he smiled a little. All thoughts of puking and/or passing out were lost. I was momentarily distracted.

"Strip your shirt off," I said. Oh, God. I can't believe I just said that out loud.

He, surprisingly, followed my instructions and stripped out of his shirt, handing me it.

I turned it inside out, so the dirt wouldn't be pressed against it and wrapped it around.

I could smell the rust and salt, but I pushed it from my mind, purposely allowing my hair to go into my face. I focused on the strawberry smell of my shampoo, rather than the smell that made me want to pass out.

I extended a hand, intending to help pull him up. He went to grab it with his bloody hand before I stopped him by grabbing the other.

"Oops," he said with a laugh. "Sorry."

"It's okay," I smiled. I wrapped an arm around his waist and he slung his arm over my shoulder.

The skin on skin contact made me shudder. It was like an electric current was passing through the two of us. I wondered if he felt it too.

I wanted to ask if he needed my help. Really, it wasn't that major of a cut. Not stitch worthy. (With the amount of times I've been to get stitches, I'm fairly positive I would know.)

Alice and Elizabeth were at the mall, on a mission to find a pair of jeans that was Alice-approved and also under $50. Renee was at work. We would have been screwed if he needed stitches.

I turned on the water in the bath. I looked away as the deep red blood mixed with the water and the porcelain, becoming a pink river flowing down the drawn.

I shut the lid on the toilet, and Edward sat down. I pulled out an older towel and gently dried off his leg.

I pulled out hydrogen peroxide.

"Hold on, put your leg over the tub again," I said. He did as told.

I poured the liquid on, watching it bubble. Hydrogen peroxide has always fascinated me. It bubbles on skin, but not on the counter or the floor. Mix with water, and it fizzes.

He winced when it hit the wound. I grabbed a wad of toilet paper and sponged off the area around it. He sat back down on the toilet. I sat across from him on the edge of the tub, pulling his leg up in my lap.

I took out the disinfectant spray stuff, and squirted it on. He grimaced. I knew this one stings more than the peroxide.

"Sorry," I said as I went under the cabinet to get gauze.

"Why so much disinfecting stuff?" he asked.

"Because a rock sliced you open. It's dirty," I said nonchalantly.

I took the gauze and tape, the kind that sticks to itself, and wrapped it around the cut.

"There," I said, looking up at him. "Good as new."

Part of me wondered why he needed my help. It's not like it was anything that would kill him. He could still walk and all that jazz.

I looked right into his eyes. They were greener than I had ever seen before.

"I think I should thank you properly," he said quietly, leaning closer so I could hear him.

I didn't expect him to press his lips to mine. I didn't expect for my hands to find themselves around his neck or to feel his around my waist. I didn't expect our kissing. No, I didn't expect that at all.

* * *

**Sooo, who saw that coming? Let me know what you think!**


	13. Way Out of Line

**Oh my gosh, super duper long wait! I am so sorry! I'm not going to bore you with lame excuses.**

**

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Chapter 13**

**BPOV**

Don't get me wrong, I have been kissed before, but it was never like this.

The memory of my first kiss, cliché but still my first kiss, was brought up to the surface of my thoughts. Not quite spin the bottle, not quite truth or dare. Our game was a combination of the two. Mike Newton, who had quite the thing for me as Jessica so kindly informed me, had landed his spin on me. The truth-or-dare-question-asker then told him he had to kiss me in the middle of our circle. He merely pressed his lips to mine, hardly a story kiss-and-tell worthy. There was no spark, no pull telling me he was the one. No static electricity feeling that made my mouth hunger for his on mine. I remember pulling away and sitting back down like nothing happened.

But the kiss that just happened.. It didn't matter that we were in the bathroom. It didn't matter that Edward was sweaty from pushing the lawn mower around. It didn't matter that I still had pajama pants on. I _felt_ that pull to him. The static cling that made me want the physical contact. I wanted to taste those lips of his. I wanted to wrap my arms around his neck and tangle my fingers through his hair.

Instead, I pulled away and looked him in the eyes. You could see the lust in his eyes. Deeply green, his eyes contrasted his hair perfectly. My eyes wandered his face, taking in his features like new. Prominent jaw-line, straight nose, crooked smile. It was clear why every girl in the school would want him.

Behind him was the bathroom mirror. In it, I caught my reflection. My plain brown eyes, my mousy brown hair. I didn't even begin to compare to him.

What compelled him to kiss _me_? Plain Jane, boring me.

I honestly had no clue.

"What was that for?" I said, although it came out as a whisper.

"I'm sorry. That-" he paused, looking for the right-I assumed- rejection words. "-Was way out of line."

"Out of line?" I muttered, half hoping he wouldn't hear me.

"Yes. I did this," he said, kissing me again like before. He pulled away and continued, "When I should have done this." He wrapped his arms around my waist, closing the distance between our two bodies, joining our lips together for a third time.

* * *

**Okay, so that's all I'm writing for this chapter. The next is a time-jump, and I didn't feel they should be lumped together just to make this chapter longer. This is super short, but you'll get the next chapter in the morning (seeing how my Beta went and passed out like half an hour ago..) So there shouldn't be too much of a wait. (: Thank you for your patience.**


	14. Party Hard

**Thank you, Siob, for editing. (: Still don't own Twilight.**

**As promised:  
**

**

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Chapter 14**

**BPOV**

The sound of books slamming shut and the unzipping of backpacks caused me to look up from my notes to the clock. Three more minutes until we're free for the day. I watched the second hand go around the circle, as if watching it would make it go faster.

"Hey, Bella," Mike said, coming over and sitting on my desk. "Are you and your friends going to the party this weekend?"

I had, in fact, heard about this party. I had no interest in going, though. The kid throwing it smokes weed and drinks. A party like that screams 'No parents this weekend, so the cops are going to be called.'

"Nah, I've got an English project to do," I lied.

"Oh, well maybe if you have time or something," he said, clearly hoping I would.

"Maybe," I said as the bell rang.

"See you later, Bells," he said before practically running out.

Edward was waiting at my locker as he does every day after school.

He grinned when he saw me, moving over so I could twist in my combination and get my backpack.

With Edward's arm wrapped around my waist, we walked our usual path to the parking lot.

The halls were crowded; more crowded than they ever were. I stood on the tip of my toes, trying to look over people to see why we were all stuck going so slow.

"Someone call 911!" someone shouted over the noise of students. After that, it was like a car wreck. People slowed down to gawk at what was happening.

I heard Emmett before I saw him. "Keep it moving, people, nothing to see here," he called.

"What's happening?" the girl in front of us asked her friend who shrugged.

"Move out of the way, kids," teachers were saying.

As we passed, I saw Emmett and a kid named Tyler holding their arms out, pushing people back. Behind them, a bunch of teachers were surrounded a student I didn't recognize. She was seizing, and they were attempting to hold her down. Edward pulled me through the crowd and began directing people around the situation.

I kneeled with Rosalie next to the girl, ignoring what was going on around us except her.

"Her breathing isn't normal. She needs CPR," one of the teacher's said, before beginning chest compressions.

Rosalie and I each grabbed a hand, holding tight.

"Don't worry," I told the girl. "You'll be okay." She blinked and looked at me. She looked terrified and I wondered briefly if this had ever happened to her before.

It took no more than seven minutes for the EMTs to get there. No more than three for Alice and Jasper to find the situation. A few of the girl's friends were standing around her. She was alert and looking around scared as hell.

"We're just going to move you into the ambulance," one of the EMTs told her. She nodded slightly as they set her on a stretcher and carried her away.

"Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for your help," the principal told us. "You can go ahead and head on home now."

Clearly, he still wanted to push the be-out-of-school-by-3:30-or-get-kicked-out rule.

I grasped Edward's hand, breaking him from whatever trance he had put himself in. He looked at me, his eyes still slightly glazed over. He looked like someone had shaken him hard.

"What's wrong?" I asked him. "The EMTs said she was going to be just fine."

"The seizure.." he trailed off.

Alice's tiny hand found my shoulder. I spun around, not letting go of Edward's hand. He was holding on for dear life.

"Dad started having seizures before he died, Bella," she said quietly enough for him to not hear.

I squeezed Edward's hand again, giving comfort in the only way I could in front of the principal.

Gently tugging his arm, we walked to the car. We drove home wordlessly.

The next morning, the teachers in everyone's first period class read an announcement about what happened the day before. They said the family wanted to tell us straight out, rather than there be rumors of what happened that could possibly hurt the girl. Apparently, doctors aren't sure what happened, and she'll be in the hospital for three more days undergoing tests to find out. They thanked the students for acting quick in getting teachers and calling emergency services.

The rest of the week went by, and we didn't hear about it. No one talked much about it. By the time Friday came, I was ready to go home, go to bed, and sleep until morning.

"A bunch of guys want me to go out to a party tonight," Edward mentioned casually on the way home. I knew he meant the party Mike asked if I was going to, but I wasn't about to say anything. I trusted Edward and his judgement.

"Oh, Bella, we can do a chick-flick night!" Alice squealed from the backseat.

I smiled. "Sounds good to me."

"Mind stopping so we can get movies before you go?" Alice asked Edward.

"Only if you have money for the movies. I'm not paying," he informed us.

Of course, Alice McShopALot had plenty of money for a few movies. She also left the store with candy and a popcorn packet.

Friday is the one day that both Renee and Elizabeth both work at the same time. We go home, and no one is back until late. When they do get back, they go straight downstairs and go to bed. Edward called Elizabeth and told her about going out with the guys. She agreed, feeling the same as I do.

We fixed grilled cheese sandwiches and French fries, being too lazy to cook anything that was a better meal. After we ate, Alice and I changed into pajamas and got snuggled in with blankets and pillows on the couch.

"Bye, ladies," Edward said, kissing me briefly on the lips. Alice whacked him with the remote.

"Get your buns out of here," she said. "I want to watch the movie."

I giggled at her impatience.

"Be safe," I told him. "Promise me you won't drive home if you drink at all. Or get in the car with a drunk driver."

"I promise," he said.

"Thanks, Mom. He gets it," Alice said.

I threw a pillow at her.

Edward waved before heading out the door.

-------------------------

"That movie was the saddest movie I've seen since The Titanic," Alice sniffled.

I took a tissue and wiped my eyes. "Gerry is so sweet," I said.

"He really loves Holly," Alice agreed.

"Loved," I corrected, making us sniffle more.

We put in the next movie, but the continuous vibrating of my phone not even five minutes in caused us to pause it.

Edward's name flashed the screen. My heart skipped a beat, and I prayed nothing bad had happened.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Bella, Bella, beautiful Bella," he said. "I've missed your voice."

I sighed relief. "What's going on?"

"I've- may have- drunken a bit," he answered with a laugh. "But I promised a very pretty girl that I wouldn't drive home."

"I'll walk to you. It's in the subdivision across the main road?" I asked.

Forks is a small town. Most people know where everyone else lives. The party wasn't far. I'd rather walk to get him and drive the car home than have him drive home. It's not exactly legal, with me only having my Learner's Permit, but it's more illegal for him to drive drunk.

"Yep, yup, yes," he told me.

"Stay on the phone with me," I said.

"Anything for you," he replied.

I covered the phone with my hand and turned to Alice.

"I'm walking to get Edward, and I'll drive the Volvo home. I should be home within half an hour. If Renee or Elizabeth come home, tell them I decided to go out with Edward too."

"Do you want me to come? We could leave a note if you want," she offered.

"It's okay," I told her. "Go ahead and watch this one without me."

She nodded.

I grabbed my jacket and Edward's, then walked out in the direction of the kid's house.

"Edward?" I said, putting the phone back to my ear.

He laughed. "That's my name," he said.

"I know, Edward. I know," I whispered.

"It's cold out here," Edward stated.

"I have a jacket for you. Where are you?" I asked.

"Layin' in the grass. It's all wet," he laughed again.

I picked up the pace.

"You have the keys, correct?"

"Keys, keys. Oh, yes. I have those."

I stayed on the phone with him until I got to the house. Inside the house, lights were flashing, music was blasting, and people were dancing.

I spotted Edward as easily as a flamingo in a flock of pigeons. Still on the phone with him, I could hear his breathing.

"Open your eyes, Edward," I whispered.

He opened his eyes, and grinned widely.

"Bella, there's a beautiful woman in front of me," he said.

"What are you going to do?" I asked, playing along.

"This," he said, getting up and wrapping his arms around my waist. I dropped the coat I was holding for him, and placed my hands on his shoulders. He kissed me, but I pulled away, tasting the alcohol on his lips and remembering why I was here. I looked up at him to find him pouting.

I scooped up the jacket and handed it to him. He put it on, and we walked to the car.

I took the keys from him, after convincing him we weren't in the Volvo, it was the Volvo's twin.

Apparently, Edward's Volvo doesn't like when Edward isn't driving. It 'spoke' to him. He said the twin liked me driving though; that the twin liked my butt in the seat. I giggled at his stupidity.

Safely parking on the curb outside our house, I cut the engine and turned to him.

"Edward, why did you drink to begin with?" I asked.

He laid his head back on the headrest. "Lots of reasons."

"Like?" I pushed.

"Memory," he said. "All alone in the moonlight. Midnight, not a sound from the pavement."

"What memory?" I asked,trying to ignore that even intoxicated, his voice melted me like butter.

"Lotsa things," he said vaguely again.

"Edward, you can tell me anything," I told him.

"Remember the girl in the hall?" he asked.

"Yeah.." I said.

"Seizure for seizure. She reminded me of Dad. It's all I think about lately. I miss him," he said.

I looked over. You never see men cry. But there were tears on Edward's face.

"I loved him a lot. You really _don't_ know what you've got until it's gone. A boy needs his dad. I mean, Alice has Mom for stuff. But me, who am I supposed to talk to about guy stuff? Who am I supposed to throw the ball around with? Why did he have to God-damn die? He was too fucking young to die!"

I climbed over the middle console and wrapped my arms around him.

"You're right. He was too young. But you can't change that now. Instead of wallowing in missing him, you should live in his memory," I said, not quite knowing if that made sense.

"Thank you, Bella," he said.

"Let's go inside and watch some chick-flicks, shall we?" I asked.

He nodded and together, we went inside.

Edward brushed his teeth to get rid of the alcohol and threw on a t-shirt and pajama pants. He came down and sat between me and the armrest. I snuggled into his arms.

Alice eventually joined our snuggle pile, using my arm as her pillow.

We must have all fallen asleep, because next thing I know, the flash of a camera makes me jump and I have no idea what's happening. The TV is back to the movie's main menu. I look around to see Renee and Elizabeth grinning like mad.

I lift my head off Edward's chest to realize we've either been busted or we're going to get grief such as "we should date" and "we make a good couple" and "we looked adorable sleeping together on the couch".

Not sure which will be a better way to suffer...

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**The girl having a seizure in the hallway after school? Yeah, that happened at our high school on Wednesday. Scary as hell. The poor girl. ):**

**On a completely different note, I got 265 new songs yesterdayyyy, and I was just wondering; who is your favorite artist or band? Favorite song by them?  
**


	15. Miles Don't Mean Anything

**I don't know how, but I managed to write this in the most annoying ass way possible. It definitely turned out in present tense, so it was all "Edward," I say. He looks to me and smiles. "I love you," he says. I reply, "I love you, too." (NO, THAT DOES NOT HAPPEN YET. [Just sayin'])**

**Thank you to Siob, for fixing the horribleness and making it readable. (: Now go read her stories poisonedbirth and leave her some love.**

**Thank you for choosing hiddeninplainsight, READ ON. *coughCedarPointreferenceeecough***

_**

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Chapter 14**_

…

_I lifted my head off Edward's chest to realize we've either been busted or we're going to get grief such as "we should date" and "we make a good couple" and "we looked adorable sleeping together on the couch"._

_Not sure which will be a better way to suffer..._

**Chapter 15**

**BPOV**

I yawned then looked to my right. Alice wasn't woken up by the flash of the camera. I looked back at Renee and an idea hit me. I faked confusion at the look on her and Elizabeth's faces, then looked at Edward passed out next to me.

"Oh my gosh," I squealed. "That's so embarrassing." I pretended to shove away from him, which doesn't phase him a bit. "How was I laying?" I asked.

"Adorably with your head on his chest, and Alice using your shoulder as a pillow. I haven't seen the three of you like that since you were little," Elizabeth said.

Renee moved to the closet and pulled one of the photo albums out, flipping to the page I had looked at oh-so many times.

She carefully took the photo from its pocket, handing it to me. Looking at it brought back the memories of the night the picture was taken. It was back in the good old days, before Edward Senior got sick. Before we moved. Back when we spent every free moment together.

Then Elizabeth handed me the digital camera, the screen displayed the identical picture she just took.

"We're framing those together," Renee told me.

I couldn't help but smile. "I'd like that," I said.

I looked at Renee, then to Elizabeth. She had tears in her eyes, but blinked them back when she saw me watching. I got up, causing Alice to fall into Edward's lap. It stirred her awake and she looked around confused. I ignored the look she gives me and got up to hug Elizabeth.

She laughed through her tears and said, "You're taller than me, Bella. I'm not used to it with Alice so tiny."

I smiled widely. "Yeah, she's a short one." Alice glared at me.

"Well, Renee, mom, you two can go to bed if you want. We, uh, have another movie to watch," Alice said, covering for the fact that we'd have to have to wake up the drunken man.

"Alright, but don't stay up too late. We have plans for you kids," Renee said.

They headed downstairs and both Alice and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Did you see the pictures?" I asked her, passing the camera and photograph over to her.

"Aw, I remember this. We had so much fun that day. I didn't even know they took this picture," she said, looking at the 4 by 6 piece of paper.

I nodded. "Can you believe we just fell asleep the same way now?" I asked.

She laughed. "I can believe it. I'm looking at the evidence," she said, holding up the camera.

"I'm just glad they didn't want to stay and watch the movie," I whispered.

Alice nodded. "When I woke up and saw them standing there, I swear my heart stopped."

There was a silence between us for a few moments before Alice said, "Alright. Well, let's get the lug nut awake and upstairs."

I sat back down next to him, taking extra effort to shake the couch a bit. I then shook his shoulder, and whispered his name in his ear.

He shivered and I knew he was coming around. Slowly, he opened his eyes, only looking around briefly before locking his with mine. That sweet moment ended when he pushed me aside suddenly and ran to the bathroom. _Nice, Edward._

"Guess you won't need me to wake him. I'm going to head off to bed," Alice said.

"Thanks, Alice." I said sarcastically.

Knowing the after effects of the alcohol, I follow Edward to the bathroom. Leaned over the toilet, he looked so small. Like a little kid again.

I placed a hand on his back, rubbing gently. I looked away when he started gagging again, and tried not to breathe in the smell.

I stood up and got a glass of cool water then I returned to the bathroom to find him sitting on the toilet, head in hands.

He didn't look my way, but I know he heard me come back in.

"Here," I told him. "Take a few slow sips."

"I don't know why I drank to begin with," he muttered bitterly. "It doesn't help anything after its worn off. Unless of course, I like headaches, puking, and feeling like my head will explode."

I handed him the glass.

"Thank you, Bella," he said, switching from bitter to grateful. "I'm sorry you had to see me like that."

I shook my head. "It's nothing. I just want you safe."

He looked up at me. "You're different than any other girl I've met, you know."

"In a good way or a bad way?" I asked.

"Good," he replied. "Any other girl would go with me. She would have gotten drunk too. Would have cheated. Left me. Gone to find some man who could handle the atmosphere of the party."

"Not all girls are like that," I informed him.

"I know, but most are. Alice isn't. Rosalie isn't. Angela isn't. A few other girls from school. But most of them are the same in the end."

"I don't know if you're making sense," I said.

"Is it possible to think about a person too much?" he asked.

"Come on, Edward. You're still drunk. Let's go to bed," I told him.

He got up clumsily and snaked his arm around my waist.

I tugged him upstairs and pushed him down into his bed.

"Goodnight, Edward," I said, kissing his forehead. I tossed the blanket from the floor onto him and shut off the light.

"Sweet dreams, my Bella," he said.

I smiled walking across the hall to my room.

I stripped out of my clothes, throwing on a tee shirt and a pair of boxers.

I flicked off the light before jumping into my bed. Wrapped up in the covers, I reached over to my bedside table to get a hold of my iPod. I put in the headphones before blinding myself with the light of the screen.

I fell asleep that night listening to the sweet melodies of Eye Alaska.

_'Cause when it rains, it pours in this town  
A little darkness closes in  
When you're not around,  
I hope somehow that you can feel me  
'Cause miles don't mean anything ..._

_

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_**Oh. Yeah. Thanks for sticking with me through the suckishly long wait. I've been super busy and lacking inspiration to write. =[**

**To Angels And Airwaves, I seriously love you for getting me into Eye Alaska. 3 THANK YOU!**

**I still want to hear favorite bands/artists. (:**


	16. Last Day of School

**I apologize for the lack of updates. School is eating my life away. Expect more updates Thanksgiving and winter breaks. I *probably* won't update again until I have three or four chapters written out, so I can update more regularly and stop with the massive update-wait-periods. That doesn't even make sense, but lmao, I don't even care right now.**

**Laaame chapter, the next one should be better. (:**

**THANK YOU TO SIOB, my lovely Beta/best friend. (poisonedbirth - look her up!). She recently (like, yesterday) won a FF writing contest! If you read "The Mortal Instruments" go and check out her one-shot. **www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5412567/1/Dinner_With_The_Family.

No, Twilight isn't mine. At all. The end. (:

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**Chapter 16**

**BPOV**

"New tradition!" Alice yelled, bouncing around the kitchen.

Edward groaned. "Alice, please. Calm yourself. It's not even 7am and you're already too excited for your own good."

She had gotten up at least an hour and a half ago, considering there were already pancakes on the counter, she was dressed, and her hair was perfectly styled.

"It's the last day of school. You honestly expect me to drag through it and _not_ be excited? We have a three month break from school!" she said happily.

I glanced at Edward. He groaned again.

"You're harshing my mellow, Edward."

He chuckled. "No one says that anymore, Alice."

Alice went into the fridge to get out juice and milk.

He leaned towards me and whispered, "Three whole months of non-stop, insane pixie."

"Oh, dear," I said, not whispering.

"Yes, honey?" Alice joked.

I just stared at her. She laughed and continued twirling around the kitchen.

"What are you talking about though?" I asked, remembering her tradition comment.

"Oh! Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie are sleeping over tonight," she nodded.

Of course she said Jasper first. Her main goal of tonight, would no doubt, be to flirt with Jasper. You'd think she'd ask him out herself, but she wants to do it the 'right way'. She 'knows' he'll do it soon. That girl has a way with the future.

We arrived at school a bit later than usual, but we weren't late. Without time to chit-chat, Edward kissed me on the cheek and wished me luck on the final.

"...Last day of school, can you believe it?" Jessica came up to us, already talking before Alice and I were in ear shot.

"I can believe it. Are you ready for the final exams?" I asked.

"I hope so," she said, crossing her fingers. "How stupid is it that we have finals on the last day of school?"

"Very," Alice added. "It's because they don't want people to skip today."

"Blah," I said.

We split our separate ways to our first hours. We had taken all but one of our hours' finals. We got an hour and a half to do it today, and two other hours to go to. The two other hours would just be goofing off and yearbook signing.

I walked into English knowing it would be a breeze. English, being my best subject, would be my easiest exam grade. A few multiple choice questions, an essay or two, and bam. A-grade, right there.

~*~*~*~*~

My hand was laced with Edward's as we sat outside on the picnic benches.

"Bella!" Mike came up to me and hugged me awkwardly while I was sitting and he was standing.

"Mike.." I mimicked how he had said my name.

"Can you believe the year is over?"

I rolled my eyes. If one more person asked me that...

"I know, it's gone so fast," I replied. Edward tugged on my hand.

"Sorry to interrupt, Mike, but we need to get going. Have a good summer," Edward said politely.

When we got to the car, I laughed. "I can't believe you still don't like him."

"Not one bit," Edward said, still polite.

"Who?" Alice asked, scaring the crap out of me.

"Alice, when did you get in here?" I asked.

"I've been sitting in here for about thirty-seven seconds," she rolled her eyes. "I don't know when I got in here. Not long ago, not after you got in."

" Mike," Edward told her, answering her question.

"Oh," Alice said, nodding her head.

"He's so rude," I told her. "Edward and I were talking and he just comes in like he's this big shot and interrupts us."

"He likes you," Alice teased.

"Thank God the year is over," I groaned.

"Tell me about it," Edward agreed.

"Jealous of Mike?" Alice teased. She was having way too much fun with this.

"Of course not. I know Bella wouldn't date him," Edward said.

"Again," Alice added.

"What?" Edward asked.

"Wouldn't date him _again_," Alice repeated.

Edward turned to look at me. I shrugged. "It was 6th grade! It doesn't count as a relationship," I said with a laugh.

"Uh-huh," Edward said, poking fun at me now.

"Hey, what is this? Make-fun-of-Bella Day?" I complained.

"Every day of the year," Alice said happily. "Love you," she said when I glared.

"So what exactly is the plan tonight?" I asked.

"We're stopping to get junk food, and Jasper, Rose, and Emmett are spending the night. We've been over this, Bella!" Alice said.

"Wait, you want me to stop?" Edward asked.

"Yeah. Grocery store," Alice answered.

"Well, gee, thanks for informing the driver," he said.

"You're welcome!" Alice said, rather chipper. "I'm so excited! Renee and Elizabeth are letting us all sleep downstairs together."

"Yeah," I commented. "They trust us."

"Which is good," Edward added. "But we all know they'll be coming down every five minutes to check on us."

"True," Alice said. "But they know we know better than to do anything like that."

"Also true," I said.

There was a short silence before I flicked on the radio. Edward began singing along to the song that came on, so I left the station as is.

"What are you doing?" Alice said, suddenly.

"Going h- Oh, I'm supposed to stop at the store," he said. "Totally forgot."

"Smooth, brother dearest," Alice said.

He made an illegal U-turn and went into the store's parking lot.

"Edward!" I complained.

"What? It will get us there faster," Edward shrugged, but I just rolled my eyes.

Alice jumped out of the car and skipped to the store with a mere, "Wait here, I'll be right back."

She returned with an armful of brown bags, full to the top with various snack foods guaranteed to rot your teeth and make you puke. I grinned. "Just like old times," I said.

She threw the bags in the trunk, and grinned back. "I miss those days."

We rode back home. Knowing Alice, she would have a ton for us to do before they showed up on our doorstep later that night.

I braced myself, preparing for whatever she had in store.

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**Name a funny movie quote! One, two, three.. GO!  
**


	17. Chapter 17

**Unedited but I want it posted and my editor won't Beta for me because she's pissed at me.**

**So here it is, hopefully it's not too bad. Point out any errors you catch in a review or a PM. Thanks =]**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.  
**

**

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Chapter 17**

**BPOV**

Alice pulled me out of the car, yelling for Edward to bring in the groceries as she yanked my arm off, pulling me in the house, all the way upstairs.

"Bella," she said.

"Yes, that is my name, Alice," I said, slowly, unsure where she was taking this conversation.

"Rosalie. Emmett. You. Edward. Me. Jasper. Do you see what I mean?"

"Alice, none of us are together-together.. especially not Rosalie and Emmett."

"But you like Edward. And Rosalie and Emmett have loved each other forever, Emmett's just stupid. And Jasper is too shy to ask."

"That's what tonight it about?" I asked.

"Sort of. We need to talk to Emmett. He needs to ask Rosalie out. Like, NOW."

"Jeez, you're so pushy. Ever thing he's not ready to ask her out?"

"Bellllla, with the way he looks at her at lunch, it's awful. He just doesn't know what to do for her. I have a plan."

"Oh, surprise!" I said.

"We need to find a way to get it so Rosalie can't sit anywhere but next to him."

"Alice..."

"What, Bella!" she shouted. She's way too excited right now.

"Why don't we just talk to Rosalie? Tell her to flirt with Emmett.. you know, steal his phone, sit on his lap.." I suggested.

She smacks her forehead. "That's so much easier than my plan."

"You like to over-complicate things. As for you and Jasper, Alice, you need to talk to him about it. If you want him to ask you out, you need to acknowledge your liking to him and have him formally ask you. It's not like you two aren't lovey-dovey already. Just do it!"

"Look who's talking Miss I-Have-A-Secret-Thing-With-Edward."

"I can honestly say he has not asked me out and we are not a couple," I told her.

She paused before responding. "Wait.. you aren't?"

I shook my head.

"But what about the laying on the couch? And the kissing in the car?"

"What kissing in the car?"

"After you got him from that party-which, by the way, very cute. Don't act like you didn't, because the lights were on in the car and I could see you from the window in the sitting room."

"Great, so you were spying on us?"

"Maybe a little.." She grinned. "You're good for him, Bella. You're just what he needs."

**EPOV**

"You're good for him, Bella. You're just what he needs."

Alice's voice trailed over from her room to mine as I walked in the door. I briefly wondered what they were thinking about until I realized it was me.

As much as I hate to allow Alice to be right, she was. Bella was perfect. She understood me on levels that other girls just couldn't possibly do.

Hearing Alice say that, something clicked in my mind.

I have to ask her out. Officially.

The question is.. when and how?

**APOV**

Rosalie and Jasper got here early, while Bella was still in the shower. I quickly grabbed Rosalie and dragged her into the kitchen.

"Rosalie, kick up the flirting with Emmett. That will be all."

"Alice, I really like him. But I can't ruin this by flirting and making things awkw-"

"He's totally in love with you, Rose." I cut her off. "I don't know why you can't see that."

"Alice, it's easy to see when it's someone you don't like back. Someone you don't worry about hurting, and you don't want to ruin their friendship. It's different for me with Emmett. And after Royce.. things aren't the same with me. And Emmett has seen that difference. I think I really hurt him, Alice. Emmett and Royce were _friends_. I felt like I was picking when Royce asked me out. I'm afraid Emmett is mad at me."

"Rosalie Lillian, I can tell you for a fact that he's not mad at you or upset with you for dating Royce. I think he was definitely jealous when you _were_ going out with Royce, but look at it this way. Dating Royce has made you see how special Emmett is. How you feel around him is different than it's been, right?"

"Right. I just.. I don't know anymore."

She looked hurt. I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her.

"Trust me, Rose. Just go for it. Snuggle into his side while we watch movies tonight. And don't be afraid to fall asleep in his arms."

"Thank you, Ali. You're a good friend."

"Just doin' my job. Now if only I could get my brother to ask Bella out..."

"Trust me, I know. He needs to. I've seen how they look at each other."

"I have an idea."

"Judging by the evil look on your face... it's going to work."

I pulled her upstairs, telling her what I was going to do as we went.

**BPOV**

I got out of the shower to find pajamas on my bed, laid out for me. Alice, once again, giving me clothes.

A deep green lacy bra with matching panties lay on top of a pair of pajama pants and a camisole tank top.

I rolled my eyes at the unneeded lingerie, but dressed in it anyways. After slipping into the olive green plaid pants, I wondered they were so loose. Did she think I was getting fatter?

I untied the drawstring and retied it tighter, so my pants wouldn't fall off, then headed to Alice's room to see what was happening.

Her and Rosalie were in there giggling about something or another.

"Hey Bella," they looked up, grinning at me.

"Come here," Alice said, summoning me with her finger.

I went to her, and she spun me around. She adjusted the straps on my bra.

"Turn," she instructed.

I turned towards her, and she nodded approvingly.

"Go look in the mirror," Rosalie told me.

I closed Alice's door, staring at my reflection in the mirror on the back.

I had _cleavage_. Everything about my outfit matched, and even though the very top of my bra was sticking out on both sides, I didn't look like a whore.

Alice and Rosalie appeared in the mirror on my sides, grinning with success.

"Now, Bella, let's spritz some fragrance on that little body of yours and go stick you in your boyfriend's lap," Rosalie said.

I just stared at her. "I don't have a boyfriend."

"Yet," she added.

* * *

**I hate how obvious my story is getting. The end is near, guys. I can see it.**


	18. Chapter 18

Sorry for the gap. I'm kind of a horrible writer when it comes to updating...

The end is coming up really soon. Like, within a chapter or so. =[

Thanks Siob for editing.

Characters are not mine but the storyline is.

**

* * *

Chapter 18**

**BPOV**

I smelt faintly like freesia perfume as I headed downstairs to where the boys were already waiting for us.

The TV cabinet was open, and some re-run game was playing on the television. Alice had set up blankets on the floor and pillows piled all around the entire room.

They sat on the couch, about a foot of space between them. I laughed at the visible personal space bubble they had.

I climbed over the back of the couch and slid between Edward, who was sitting to the left most, and Emmett, who was in the middle. Both of them looked at me like I had appeared out of thin air.

I put my feet up on the couch and hugged my knees.

"Bella.. are those my pants?" Edward asked.

I looked at them and mentally face palmed. I wanted to get up and smack Alice. It's no wonder they were too big for me.

"That evil little..." I muttered.

He leaned in closer to my head. His lips brushed my neck slightly, not quite a kiss, before he whispered, "It's okay. They look better on you, anyway."

As soon as he pulled back, I missed his touch.

Alice and Rosalie came downstairs then. Rosalie had on shorts and a tank top, as usual, while Alice put on her Tinkerbell pajamas.

"Movie time?" Alice asked.

The boys protested, complaining the game wasn't over, but she took out the DVD case anyways.

"No!" Jasper yelled, jumping up and scooping her up into his arms. He pried the movie from her swiftly and easily, tossing it to Emmett. Rosalie intercepted the throw and grabbed the DVD and ran with it. Emmett turned around, looking at her, then looking at the couch separating them.

Edward reached over and plucked the DVD case from Rosalie's hands while she was busy making sure Emmett wasn't about to pounce. From behind, I wrapped my arms around his body, pinning his arms down. I clasped my hands together and struggled to keep them in place while he let me win. I knew he wasn't using his full strength, but it didn't matter.

"Rosalie! Get it from him!" I continued holding down his sides.

"Ninja twist!" He spun his arms each in a different direction and walked casually away as I stood there. He grinned at his escape, and then put the DVD on the blades of the broken ceiling fan. The ceiling was high, and we weren't likely to be able to get it down.

"Damn it!" Alice cursed.

"I've got this, guys," Rosalie said. She climbed to stand on the back of the couch, jumped from there, hit the blade of the fan, and knocked the DVD off, sending it flying over. Alice wiggled out of Jasper's arms and dove for the DVD. She put it in the player, and hit menu.

"Aww," Jasper groaned. He put his head down in defeat and walked to the armchair. Alice skipped happily to him and sat down in his lap. She kissed him quickly on the cheek, and his frown unintentionally turned into a slight smile. He whispered something in her ear, she leaned over and grabbed a blanket, and the two of them cuddled into the chair together.

As the movie started, I shifted my weight down on the couch, and leaned into Edward's side. He held his hand palm up toward me, inviting me to twine my fingers with his. I took the offer gladly, and pulled our hands together into my lap. He pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and threw it over us.

Rosalie was sitting next to me, and Emmett was laying down with his head in her lap. She was absentmindedly playing with his curls, gently scratching his head. His eyes were closed and I was 90% sure he intended to sleep through the movies Alice planned for us to watch.

"Popcorn?" I asked them all.

Nodded heads and yes's all around, I got up and went to the kitchen.

As I stood watching the microwave, a pair of arms wrapped around my waist, a pair of lips pressed to the base of my neck.

I spun around in his arms to find Edward standing there.

"Bella," he said, looking me in the eyes, "I want you to be mine. Officially. I want to be able to hold you into my arms like this and call you my other half. Will you be my girlfriend?"

I don't know why it shocked me, but it did. I wasn't expecting Edward to even like me enough to want me as his own. I mean, I knew he thought I was pretty or cute or something, which I didn't understand, but he wanted me to be his?

I was speechless for a moment until I found my voice. I nodded and said yes at the same time. He pulled me closer and shut me up by kissing me gently.

The microwaves timer stopped us and I became aware of the smell of popcorn that'd filled the kitchen.

My first kiss, no, but definitely one to commit to memory. I quickly poured the popcorn into a big bowl, and put another bag in the microwave.

**APOV**

"Hey Jazz?" I asked quietly.

"Yeah?"

"What are we?" I asked bluntly

"What do you mean, babe?"

"Just that; we're an unofficial couple."

"Oh... I- I don't know what to say," he said.

"I want us to be official. I want to know you're mine and only mine."

"I am yours. It's always been you. Only you. I love you with every breath I take. Alice, I don't need a label to know that you're mine. I don't need to say, "Sup bitches! Look at my girlfriend!" Because you're already mine and I love you. But if you want it to be official... Alice will you be my girlfriend?"

I smiled. He twisted the situation around perfectly. I nodded to answer him. "That's all I ask," I said softly.

He kissed my forehead and pressed our foreheads together, looking into my eyes. I gave him a quick peck on the cheek and moved back to how I was laying.

Our hands found one another and we twined them together.

Sitting with his arms wrapped around me, and both his hands connected to my hands, I smiled, content with everything going on around me. I pressed my head into his chest, inhaling his smell deeply. I could have fallen asleep the way we were laying. So at bliss, so wrapped in love. Instead, I turned to the smell of popcorn to see my best friend and my brother walk out holding two massive bowls; their other two hands intertwined together.

* * *

Penny for your thoughts?


End file.
